Can't Be Tamed
by RileyArcher
Summary: High school age Daryl, with some serious changes. Rick has an older daughter, everyone lives in the same area around King County, the chapters in this story are going to be super long, I am thinking a total of three.


**Trying something different – Alternative Universe! Rick and Lori are happy, they have an older daughter, YOUNG Daryl like 17-year-old Daryl, YOUNG Merle, like 26. The other characters will show up too, don't worry!**

 **Chapter One – Really?**

Rick didn't know why he thought it was a good idea, hell maybe he saw some of himself in the boy. Lori was against the idea, and he could see her reasoning, bringing a seventeen-year-old male into their house with their fourteen-year-old daughter just sounded bad especially if that male was a Dixon, but damn if he was going to let another boy's future be ruined by a brother. Rick had made it out of his teen years by the grace of god, and when his older brother died, he didn't realize it at the time, but suddenly the world was a whole new place. A place where he could be exactly what he wanted to be, and in his case that was a good man. Looking that the scruffy shaggy haired boy before the judge he prayed that his assumptions about the youngest Dixon were right.

"Alright, Son, the way I see it is you have two options, you can let Officer Grimes take you in or you can go to jail." The judge looked at the surly sandy blonde headed boy. This was the fourth time in as many weeks the boy had stood before him, this time he was in trouble for helping his older brother Merle rob a liquor store.

"I'll take my chances with Officer Friendly." The boy asserted after a minute, his ripped jeans and torn shirt making him look somewhere between frail and lost. He used the nickname Merle always used when Rick Grimes hauled him in, and to be honest he was the cop you wanted to be picked up by.

"It's settled then. Please, Mr. Dixon, can you not be like William or Merle, just once in your life?" The judge sighed shaking his head.

Officer Rick Grimes nodded at the judge, then un-cuffed the young man, and led him out of the court room. Daryl trailed behind him, watching each step Rick Grimes took. "Ok, Daryl." Rick said as he climbed into the cop car, "I know that you probably don't want any part of this, but until… if Merle gets outta jail, you're stuck with us." Daryl watched out the window in complete silence. He had no clue why this man had decided to go out on a limb for him, but he knew nobody did nothing out of the kindness of their heart. "My wife won't be home for a couple hours, but my daughter Sunny and my son Carl should be there. Until my wife, Lori, gets home please don't burn the house down or anything. Sunny can show you the room we got situated for you."

"Ya just expected me to come?" Daryl snapped.

"No, I was just hopeful is all." Rick said after a long moment, then "Sunny can make you some food."

Daryl didn't say anything else, as they pulled up to a perfect two story yellow house, with a perfect yard. A girl Daryl had seen around school, in shorts and a t-shirt, standing by the front gate, waved, "Hi daddy." She smiled and nodded at Daryl. "I got Carl doing his homework inside, and I got burgers fixed. You want one before ya go?"

"No thank you, sweetheart, how about you show Daryl in the house?" Rick nodded at her, then looked at Daryl, "Go on." Daryl unbuckled the seatbelt and slipped out of the car. He looked at Sunny, then watched her smile at him and wave warmly.

She motioned for him to come in the house, Daryl looked one last time at Rick, and sighed. "Sunny, huh?"

"Yeah, my real name is Sundance, but Carl couldn't say that when he was little, so Sunny just stuck when I started kindergarten everyone called me that." She was nice. "Daryl Dixon, that's you." Sunny opened the front door and pulled him in, gently touching his arm, and led him into the kitchen.

"Yeah." He growled. She motioned for him to sit down at the table, then put a burger in front of him.

"We are in the same English and math class." She said carefully. "I skipped a grade and you failed one, or two…" Her voice trailed off, and he glared at her. "So we can do homework together if ya want to."

"I don't need help, aint goin to school."

"Yes you are, daddy said so." Sunny responded, then moved to the far end of the table where Carl was working on his homework.

"How old are you?" He asked her interested, she was skinny and short, pale for being outside so often. She had red hair, braided down her back.

"I'll be 15 in a couple months, either way we are both juniors." She was quiet after that, working with Carl. Daryl stood when he was done eating, and decided to walk through the house. She wasn't paying him any attention anyway. The living room was cozy, there were bookshelves and a television, the couch was l-shaped and large, everything in the room seemed warm. He wandered down the hallway looking at the pictures on the wall, family shots, Sunny in a cheerleading outfit, Carl in a football outfit, Daryl sneered at them. He found two doorways at the end of the hallway. One led to the master bed room, and across the hall he found a nursery, confused he closed the door and backed out.

"They are excited about the baby." Sunny said after a long minute, "Mom always wanted three kids, and dad is more than happy to do what she wants, let me show you your room." Daryl looked at her wondering momentarily if she could see the hate behind his eyes. He had never seen a house this nice, this clean. Daryl followed her up the stair case, watching her move, she was light and nimble. "This is my room. We share a bathroom. This is your room. Carl's is across the hall; he shares a bathroom with the guest bedroom." She opened a door and led Daryl in. The walls were a soft blue, there was a dresser and a bed, a desk with a computer, and a closet. "Daddy said he was going to pick your things up for ya." She smiled. Then she walked away.

Daryl shut the door behind her. He sat down on the bed, then slammed his body back down on it. He could feel the tears, burning at his eyes, this place, it wasn't real and he was dreaming again. He could never ever have anything like this. Ever.

...

When Lori got home she found Carl playing on the Xbox in the living room, Sunny at the table doing homework. "Did your dad bring Daryl home today?" She asked anxious to meet him.

"He's upstairs." Carl told him mom returning to the game.

"Momma, I don't think he has ever had anything nice." Sunny was quiet, careful. "Daddy said he was going to go get his things, and mentioned him having a dirt bike. You think he could drive me to school? Might make him feel better about being here?"

Lori looked at her daughter for a long moment, then sighed. "We can ask your dad when he get's home."

"Made dinner." Sunny nodded her head towards the stove. Lori smiled looking at her daughter, proud that she had cooked. Lori had been picking up extra shifts at the hospital, making sure that they would have enough money for when the baby was born, her sweet little girl. It would be her fourth pregnancy, she had lost a little boy last Christmas, and at seven months pregnant she was doing all she could to keep herself safe. It meant ultimately that Sunny was the one who was in charge of the house in her absence.

"Thank you, baby." Lori kissed her daughter's forehead then grabbed her plate.

Rick would not be home until much later in the night, he came in right at ten o'clock and found Lori on the couch, watching the news. "Hi, momma." He said, smiling as he took his spot beside her, resting his hand on her waist.

"Sunny mentioned that Daryl had a dirt bike." Lori started. "Think's he would feel better if you let him drive it to school in the morning, she suggested she ride with him."

"Guess they hit it off then," Rick nodded, "Might do uhm both some good. That boy is destined to turn out like his pa and his brother if he don't get some help, and Sunny doesn't have any friends, except Sophie and Beth." Sophie belonged to Lori's cousin Carol, who had recently moved back to King County and married Father Gabriel, it had caused quite the stir in town, because Father Gabriel was African American. Beth belonged to Hershel Greene, the farm vet who lived way outside of town. Hershel's wife had died the last winter and since then his oldest daughter Maggie had gone off to work in Atlanta.

"I think she thinks she can fix him." Lori said as he laid his head against her shoulder, watching the television absently.

"Maybe she can, hell, maybe he can be a good man someday." Rick drifted off to sleep, he had had a long day and he was beat.

...

Daryl woke the next morning to find clean clothing laid out on the bed next to him. "Momma left uhm for ya, better hop in the shower." Sunny smiled warmly at him. He looked her over, she had her hair up in a ponytail, and was wearing a short sleeve shirt, and bib overalls, she had a pair of tennis shoes on, and looked like a complete dork. "Daddy took Carl on to school, and Momma left for work. Daddy said that you could drive me on your dirt bike, so ya better get dressed and get ready, I ain't gonna be late for school cause of you." Daryl snorted at her but grabbed his clothes.

He was relieved to see the dirt bike on the sidewalk in front of the house. He was slightly irritated to see two brand new helmets on the seats. He climbed on, waiting for Sunny and her back pack, she climbed on behind him. "Where do I hold on?" He handed Sunny one of the helmets.

Daryl sighed, he didn't want her to touch him and she knew it. Reluctantly he said, "Around my waist." She let her arms settle around him, he pulled his own helmet on, and kick started the bike. It roared to life, she giggled slightly, and held on to him. When they reached the school she waited for him, interested in what he did. He disconnected the gas line, "Don't want no body to take it."

She nodded, and heard the school bell ring. "Come on." He felt her tugging him and groaned. He was not a fan of school, everyone there made fun of him, bullied him. He had not liked school since he was small. This girl, he recognized her, and knew she didn't have many friends either, being the daughter of the deputy-sheriff meant no one invited you to anything, ever. Their first two classes of the day were together, math he liked, numbers were easy enough to do things with, but English was not something he looked forward to. Their teacher Mrs. Maddy seemed shocked to see Daryl take a seat behind Sunny. Beth was beside her, and Sophie in front of her. Daryl was older than the other kids, almost 18, and she had never heard him speak. Not once, on the off chance he came to school he skipped her class. The teachers before her had just passed him in English to get him out of their classroom. "Mr. Dixon, could you read the first sonnet to us?"

Daryl's head snapped up, and he looked at Sunny, she had turned to look at him, pointing to the place on the paper that he should be able to read. He looked confused, and angry. His eyes momentarily locked on Sunny's and she realized he couldn't do it. "Mrs. Maddy, I'll read it for him, Daryl doesn't feel well."

Daryl looked at her sheepishly, then nodded. "Okay, Sunny." Mrs. Maddy said after a long moment. Daryl listened to Sunny's voice as it floated through the class room. The bell rang and he was the first one up. She was right behind him, Beth and Sophie tolling along with her.

"Hey wait up!" Sunny called after him. "DARYL!" She snapped. He stopped in the throng of people, and she caught up with him. "It's lunch time, the café is back that way. Not thinking about leaving are you?"

He just looked at her, she was so damn good at understanding. He just looked at her, she hooked his arm in hers, and nodded to Sophie who locked her arm through his other, Beth walked calmly in front of him.

"We are the outcast." Sophie said slowly as she sat down. She put a tray in front of him, and sank into the chair.

"We are the one's no one likes." Beth offered him her apple, noticing the tray Sophie had brought didn't have one.

"That's not ture, ya'll are cheerleaders." Daryl managed to choke out as he watched the three of them.

"Out of fear from the coach." Sunny snorted. "My daddy is the police, her daddy is the way to heaven, and her dad is the vet, the coach has horses ya know."

Daryl looked at the three girls around him. He knew that if Merle could see him, sitting with them he would call him a pussy and beat him up really good. But Merle was waiting trial for armed robbery again, the third time this fall. "Well, ya'll ought not sit with me, I'm redneck trailer trash." Daryl growled low, careful.

"Daddy and momma want you to be safe, and for that to happen, we need you to be with us. Your untouchable if ya run away, but your brave if you face them." Sunny smiled at him. "You got auto-mechanics all afternoon, right?" He nodded. "Daddy had me moved into it with you, thought it would be good if I was around all day."

Daryl nodded at her, silently relieved that she would be there for him. "I have choir with Sophie." Beth told them, smiling. "We normally do that together, but I don't see you singing." Daryl almost smiled. He had not had friend since his mother died, this was nice, though, being around the three of them, maybe if he could hold himself together, he could survive this semester, and when Merle got out, maybe he wouldn't need him anymore.

Sunny had never been out to the back of the school to the garage before, but she felt alright following Daryl. They had two teachers, Dale who was an older man who always was tinkering with cars, and Glenn, who was young but good with his hands. "Alright class." Dale looked around the group, "We got a late transfer in, today." He paused, "Sundance Grimes."

"Call me Sunny." She looked so small around all the upper classmen boys. There was a groan when they realized she was the deputy-sheriff's daughter; the sheriff was her grandfather.

"OK, Sunny, everyone is partnered up…" He paused, "But Daryl here, Jack and Samuel. Who would you like to have as your partner?"

Daryl watched her carefully. Daryl looked at all of them, they didn't have anything to do with him normally, but he could read the signs, the moment Sunny asked to work with him, formally, there would be snickers about the cop's daughter and the county's biggest redneck fuck up's son working together. "Uhm, Daryl, please."

She could tell Dale was intrigued, he was curious. "That's fine, Daryl, take her on over to your project the bike." She followed after him.

"Stupid girl." He snapped. "All them dumb fucks are gonna think ya like me or something, ya want rumors around this place 'bout us, 'bout ya with trash like me?"

Sunny cocked her head to the side. "Daryl, you are not trash. You are my friend, friends stick together. Now I know you don't want help, but I get it, your problem in English, you can't read can you." She was whispering to him, as she handed him tools.

"Damnit." She heard him snap.

"I'll teach you. But you have to teach me in here, ok?" He looked at her for a long moment.

"My ma taught me a bit, but alright. If ya think it's fair, I'll try ya." He was silent after that, only stopping every now and then, to grunted to her as to what tool he needed.

Eventually Glenn made it around to them, "Listen, Sunny, you understand that at the end of the semester you have to have built something too, right, you can't just watch Daryl."

Daryl's head snapped up. "She will, leave her alone." Daryl could see her shoulders tense, she had no clue that she needed to build something.

The bell rang before Glenn or Dale could say anything, and Daryl shoved her hard towards the door. "What do you make of that?" Dale asked Glenn quietly.

"Best not to speculate and just call her mother." Glenn headed towards the office, deciding to call Lori at work.

...

"'Mone, get on." Daryl snapped at her, she climbed on to the back of the dirt bike, pulling her helmet on. He turned the bike on, and made it roar to life. She held on to him, tight. The boys from auto-mechanics and the cheerleaders watching. Beth and Sophie climbed into Carol's car, and headed out towards the farms removed from town. She didn't know where they were going but it was not home. They crossed the bridge, and moved into sprawling woods. They reached what her father referred to as hood town, and sped past it to the trailer parks. They turned down a long gravel road, and followed it to the end. A small trailer surrounded by trees. They turned onto a dirt path, and an old trailer set in front of them. "Don't tell ya daddy I brought ya down here." He said after a moment.

"Where are we, Daryl?" She asked careful, climbing off the back of the bike, taking her backpack off, and slipping her helmet off.

"My… where I lived." He managed, taking his helmet off. He was on the front concrete steps before she could stop him, she followed him, weeds seemed to grow intentionally into the porch. He was on his knees, something from his pocket jiggling the lock, suddenly the door popped open and he went in, she followed.

The smell hurt her nose, it was something between mold and alcohol. She covered her nose instantly. She followed behind him as he moved he was looking for something. The trailer had miserable yellow carpet, stains all over the floor, the walls were dingy. He was making his way to the back of the house, Sunny tripped, slamming into the back of him.

Daryl felt her collide. "What the fuck?" He snapped.

"Tripped." She almost shrieked when she realized she had tripped over a dead rodent. Daryl laughed and smiled at her a real smile. "Why is that in your house?"

"Dunno, hole in the floor maybe? Dads been in jail couple months, and Merle a few weeks, tons of time for them to get back in." He nudged the opossum to the side, and took off again. She followed, watching the floor. He pushed open a door, and she peaked around him. She didn't know if it was his room or not, but there was a mattress on the floor in the corner.

"Is this your room?" She asked, looking around the small room. There were old beer cases, and what she would consider trash strode about.

"I guess, yea." He said after a minute. He moved across the room, and motioned for her to follow. "Hold this." He commanded as he pulled up the mattress, underneath it there was a vent, and in the vent a box. He pried it up, then handed her the box and dropped the mattress back down. "Hold that." He then grabbed something from the closet, she recognized it to be a cross bow and several bolts. "Only thing I ever stole." She heard him mumble. He led her out of his room then, and into the last room of the trailer. It smelled like a mix of cigarettes and death. He paused, "Wait here, girl." She nodded and he slipped into the room.

When he returned he had a back pack over his shoulder, he was tucking his bolts in it. "Put that in yer school bag for me." He told her pointing at the box. She nodded. She would have argued about going home, but her daddy was off today and would be getting Carl off the bus about now.

Daryl led her back outside, and shut the front door. "There's a bike, we can get yer dad to get it, it can be yer project, for auto shop." He was climbing back on the bike. She tucked his wooden box into her backpack, and pulled the helmet on. She climbed on behind him.

...

"Lori. She is a smart girl. Calm down. If she went somewhere with him, it was to keep him from trouble." Rick was rubbing his temple and listening to his wife on the phone. The school had called her about her joining shop class, and then Carol had called like her normal meddling self, to let them know that she had rode off with Daryl in the opposite direction. "Yes, Lori, I know its been one day and this is not like her, I assure you when she gets home I will talk to her, darling, don't worry, the boy isn't as bad as he thinks he is…. Yes, I'll call ya when she gets in." Carl made a face and motioned with his hands that his mother was talking too much, Rick laughed as he hung up and said, "Let's play ball, son."

...

"Not to push ya," Sunny said, standing with Daryl on the rickety bridge that over looked the fast moving water that ran through King County. "But, if we aint home soon, daddy is going to send Uncle Shane to look for us, and he's the one to arrest ya the last time."

"Won't be long. Don't want my dad or brother having this when they get out." She watched him as he handed her the crossbow and bolts. He tipped his back pack up, over the ledge and she watched as hundreds of pictures of naked women and young girls toppled out of it, followed by knives and belts, and finally a pistol. He looked back at her, "Ain't like them, don't wanna be." He tucked the crossbow and bolts back into his pack, and slipped it on her shoulders over her book bag.

She waited for him to climb back on the bike, then held on to him. She didn't quite understand him, but she didn't look at him with fear like the other kids did. She had noticed it at school today, when he was walking with her, Beth, and Sophie; he was so different from the other kids who attended King County schools that he was scary to them.

When they arrived home her dad and Carl were playing ball in the front yard. She smiled and waved at them both. "Don't be mad, daddy." She was so sweet as she said it.

"Worried me and your momma sick, girl." He caught the ball, and walked to where she and Daryl were. "Where ya been?" He was looking at Daryl as he took the pack from her shoulders.

She paused for a long moment. "I asked Daryl to show me his old house." Daryl looked at her his eyes narrowed. "I have to have a project for auto-mechanics and he mentioned there was a bike there, that no one would be using for a while, so I thought we should go look at it."

"I'll send Shane over to get it." Rick told them, then he smiled. "Got pizza inside, call your momma and let her know your ok."

Once inside she opened her backpack and set his wooden box on the table. "I'll get our plates ready, you like ranch with your pizza?"

He was still staring at her, "Ain't never had pizza." He stepped closer to her, "Why'd you lie?"

"Keep you from trouble." She smiled, "Pizza's good with ranch, I'll fix it that way. Take your stuff upstairs we got some work to do on your reading." He groaned but swiped his box from the table and carried it up to his room.

She grabbed the corded phone on the wall and called the hospital. "Lori Grimes, please?" She asked the operator. After assuring her mom that she was completely fine, she noticed he had not come back down stairs. When she hung up she made her way up to his room. The door was open, he was on the bed, his back to her, and she could hear him. He was sobbing, letting out painful sighs and choking as he breathed. She felt tears on her own eyes, before she could stop herself she moved to him, hugging him from behind. She felt him stiffen, then she felt his elbow in her ribs. She gasped, as he looked back to see who was behind him he looked instantly sorry.

"Shit, Sunny." He growled, helping her up from the floor.

"Ow," She groaned rubbing her ribs, "I think you bruised me."

His face paled, before he could say or do anything, she was pulling her shirt up to check, sure enough the softest of blueish purple was already starting to form on her skin. "I didn't mean to."

"I know, I shouldn't have surprised you, I am sorry." She looked at him, looking up and smiling. "Been bruised worse in tumbling."

"Tumbling?" He asked confused.

"Has to do with cheerleading, what upset you."

He looked at her for a long moment, his cobalt blue eyes piercing her brown ones. "Looking at the only picture I have of my mom."

She nodded, resting her hand on his arm. "May I see?" Daryl didn't know what to say for a moment. Instead he stepped away from the bed. The picture was frayed, old, and had a couple torn edges. The woman in it was beautiful, blonde hair and those same eyes as Daryl, her red lips turned up in a smile. A very little Daryl in her arms. "Is this Merle?" He nodded, the dark haired boy in the picture looked mean and brooding even then. Sunny rubbed her hands over the picture. "Wait here." She slipped out of the room and into hers. She pulled a frame from her desk it held a picture of her, Beth and Sophie, she quickly pulled it out and returned to Daryl's room. "You need a frame for it." He watched her, fighting the urge to rip his mother's picture from her hands, as she carefully placed it in the frame and put the back on it once more. "Now it won't get wet."

He had never met anyone like Sunny, she was completely selfless and honest. He looked at her holding the wooden frame in her hands, cradling it like it was the most sacred thing in the world. "Thank ya." He said after a long moment, then he hugged her, a real hug, pressing her whole body to him, the picture and her arms trapped between them. He let her go, and watched as she put the photo on the desk next to his bed.

"We got some reading to do, come on, Daryl." He pushed the box under his bed, the rest of the contents a mystery, and followed her down the stairs.

By the time Rick and Carl came in Sunny had pulled out several of Carl's younger books. Daryl was at the kitchen table, sounding out small words, when he was right, Sunny gave him a point on the chalkboard. "What's all this?" Rick asked.

"Nothin" Daryl snapped, closing the book, and shooting Rick a dark look. He stood from the table and stomped upstairs. Sunny frowned.

"Dad, he can't read." Rick looked at his daughter for a long moment.

"That's not possible, he couldn't have passed fifth grade if he couldn't." Rick stated after a long moment.

"He knows his alphabet and has some things memorized. He can't read complex works; he was struggling with Cat in the Hat." She scooped up the books and Daryl's glass of milk, and made her way to the stairway.

"Sunny, thank you."

"For what daddy, you said you wanted him to be happy here." With that she made her way up the stairs.

...

When Lori got home Rick was waiting for her, he had night shift patrols and wanted to talk to her first. "Lori, Daryl can't read." Even as he said it he felt like he was betraying the boy's secret.

"What?" Lori asked.

"The boy can't read, Sunny is teaching him. He knows his letters, and that's about all." Rick told her, frowning. "They made a deal."

"A deal?" Lori asked as she grabbed a slice of pizza, and opened the fridge to dig out the mustard and pickles, strange pregnancy cravings.

"He's gonna teach her how to build a motorcycle and she is going to teach him to read." Rick pulled Lori into his lap, sitting at the kitchen table, rubbing her belly.

"A motorcycle!" Lori looked concerned, her eyes budging slightly.

"For auto-mechanics. Had her moved into it today, thought her presence would be good for him." Rick explained, kissing her shoulder.

"Do you want her to fall in love with him?" Lori snapped confused.

"Huh?" Rick looked taken aback,

"I knew a little girl once, the sheriff's daughter, who fell in love with the town bad boy, last I heard they were taking in the towns NEWEST bad boy." Lori snapped.

"Lori, honey, I wasn't that bad?" He almost questioned.

"No I guess you weren't; you hadn't robbed a gas station by 16." She smiled at him, and kissed him. "Really, though, I know you want to make sure he has a chance, but Rick… she broke the rules earlier today by sneaking off with him, 24 hours in the house, and our oldest is already…" She trailed off, the look on his face made her pause.

"She wanted him to show her where he lived. Wanted him to help her find a project bike. She is going to be good for him, regardless of what happens, like you were good for me." Rick kissed her cheek.

...

Daryl heard them talking about him, Sunny was fast asleep on his bed, she had worked with him on his reading until well after ten o'clock. He picked her up bridal style, felt her snuggle to him, then carried her through the bathroom and into her room. He almost laughed when he saw the covers already messy on her bed. He laid her down then covered her up. He scanned her room. The walls were white, with music notes and words written all over them. He smiled, as he saw a guitar in the corner, and her cheer trophies on shelves. He ducked back into his room and stretched out on his bed as he heard Lori come up the steps to check on both Sunny and Carl.

...

By Friday Sunny had managed to read all of Daryl's chapters in class with Sophie and Beth's help, and Mrs. Maddy was growing impatient, to make matter's worse they were starting to get lengthy word problems in math, and he was starting to get discouraged. He could handle shapes and numbers, but having to read was starting to make him sick. By auto-mechanics he was ready for Sunny to hand him tools and watch him.

"Your Uncle Shane dropped this bike off for you, said it was your semester project." Glenn explained as he pointed to the bike next to Daryl's. "We need to see you working on it each day, he can show you how to do things, but it has to be your work that completes it.

"OK!" Sunny smiled at him, and returned to her spot next to Daryl. She watched as he loosened some bolts on his engine, she followed suit. When the bell rang she followed behind him to the dirt bike. "I need to go straight home today, gotta get Carl off the bus."

"Good, I need some more lessons." Daryl told her.

When they made it home Carl was just getting off the bus, Sunny steered him into the house, and immediately went to cooking. "Daryl, try reading that to Carl, he can help you too." Daryl looked at the nine-year-old and considered his options.

"A'ight, yea." Daryl opened the book Sunny said it was her favorite when she was younger. "James… and the…Gi-ant… Pe… Peach." He mumbled, taking the words slow and sounding them out.

"Keep on." Sunny said as she put the rice in the boiling water.

"Until he was four years old, James Hen…Henry Tro… Trotter had a happy life. He lived peace… peaceful… peacefully with his mo…moth…mother and fat…father in a bea.. bea-uti-ful house be… beside the sea." He paused them. Sunny could see why he didn't like to read in school. One sentence had taken the better part of five minutes to finish. He was getting better though, "The…There were all…always plen…plenty of other child-ren for him to play with, and the-re was a san-dy be…beach for him to run a-bout on, and the o-cean to pad..paddle in. It was the per-fect life for a small boy." Daryl paused again and looked at her.

Carl was struggling beside him with a math problem, and Sunny was absorbed in making chicken of some sort. "Lemme help ya." Daryl offered, pushing the book away. When Rick came in Sunny was at the stove, and Daryl was helping Carl with third grade math.

"Hi kiddos." He smiled at them, Sunny looked at him with a bright smile. "James and the Giant Peach, that is a family favorite."

Daryl nodded at him, "I've only made it through the first bit. Talkin bout his mom and dad, the sea, an it bein perfect." Daryl sighed, and returned to addition with Carl.

"Sunny, Hershel called me today, let me know Beth want to come over for the weekend, and mentioned that you two and Sophie have cheerleading camp this weekend." Rick sighed. "Your mom and I can't take you," He started to talk again.

"If ya leave a car I can take uhm, can watch Carl too." Daryl looked at Rick, "Ain't gonna do nothing crazy."

Rick sighed. "We can run over and pick up Sophie and Beth in a bit then, and I'll leave the van here, you can drop me at work both mornings." It was not idea and Lori probably wouldn't agree with it, but she was at her mother's in Atlanta for the weekend, getting the last of the supplies needed for their little girl.

"Okay, you two, in the back, Daryl you can ride up front with me." Rick started the van and headed towards the farms. They reached Carol and Gabriel's house first. Rick and Sunny went in and after a few moments Sunny and Sophie made their way across the yard, to the next farm house, Rick rejoined him in the van. "I told uhm you would take care of the girls, bit of an argument but Carol agreed finally." He reversed the van down the gravel path, then pulled into the larger farm, where Hershel lived with Beth, his oldest daughter away at college. Rick was in there a lot longer, finally the three girls made their way back to the van, then Rick. "HERSHEL, I promise." He sounded exasperated. Once inside he looked at Daryl sharply. "Don't make me regret this son." Daryl was tempted for a moment to tell him not to call him son, but just bit his lip and nodded.

Once home, with both Sophie and Beth fed, Sunny resumed her lesson with Daryl. Sophie and Beth headed upstairs to pack what Sunny would need. "What is cheer camp anyway?" He asked miserable and irritated, he was having trouble finishing the book, and she was pushing him.

"It's basically where all the girls from the town who want to join the team try out." She told him. "I always make it; I think out of fear that daddy would be mad if I didn't."

"Don't listen to her, she is really good." Beth said, smiling, pushing her blond hair behind her ear, she had one lone braid in the middle of it all. "Me and Sophie only make the team cause she refuses to cheer without us, but she is really good."

"You and Carl have to stay on Sunday and watch them, Lori want's it recorded. She was the cheer captain when she was in high school." Rick chimed in from the living room, he and Carl were watching football.

"Sunny, can I stop a while?" Daryl asked finally, "I don't know this word." At first he had been anxious about reading in front of the other girls, but they had promised not to tell anyone his secret.

"That's nuisance… it means to cause trouble or disruption." Sunny said, looking over his shoulders.

...

Sunday came too soon in his opinion. He was just getting used to hanging out with Carl, and the girls in the afternoon. He had never been to the high school when he didn't have to be, so he numbly followed Carl, finding a place in the second role of the bleachers. "It's her turn." He heard Carl say finally, he opened the camera but didn't understand it, panicked he looked at Carl, who smiled and took it from him. Her routine made him dizzy and confused, how in the world could the human body contort and move like that, bending in on itself, and then springing to life. Beth had been right to the best of his understanding, Sunny looked like she belonged there, at center stage. Sophie and Beth were both long and lanky, and both seemed to fumble through the routine, other girls were better than them, but at the end of the day when they announced who made the team, all three did. Daryl clapped with Carl, unintentionally catching the attention of some of the boys from their classes.

"Look." He heard them say, "The cop's daughter brought her pet."

Carl looked at him, "Daryl, don't. Daddy will be mad."

Daryl nodded, biting his cheek, and narrowing his eyes.

"Looks like daddy's little girl has him tamed." A second boy said.

Daryl cocked his head to the side, he could see Sunny, Beth and Sophie headed towards him. He was trying very hard to contain himself.

"Shut your mouth Ron Trainer!" Sunny snapped, she could see the look on Daryl's face.

"If it ain't the little whore now." Ron, the first boy called out.

The word seemed to slap her in the face, Daryl saw the tears forming in her eyes, he stepped down from the bleachers, drew back and smashed his fist hard into Ron's nose. Ron tumbled backwards both of his friends jumping at Daryl, landing a couple good hits before Daryl angrily tossed one over his shoulder, and tackled the other to the ground. Sunny rushed forward, intent on breaking up the fight when the third boy, who Daryl had tossed over his shoulder, slammed her to the ground. Daryl punched the boy he was fighting with hard in the face, the boy stilled, then he kicked the boy over Sunny in the ribs, sending him rolling. He pulled the little girl up and looked her over, she looked ok. "Ya ain't no whore, Sunny." He told her, brushing her hair smooth, and eyeing her. He sighed when he looked around. This was the kind of trouble he was not supposed to be getting into. He took off walking towards the van, the girls and Carl following him.

He knew he would have to answer to Rick when he got home, or worse Shane. Once they were in the van, Sunny buckled up then looked at him. "Where did you learn to fight?"

"My dad and Merle, normally I play the part of Ron, the punching bag." He mumbled under his breathe.

"Daryl, take us to the police station, I gotta talk to dad and Shane before the coach does." Daryl did as he was told, and turned down main street.

Once there Sunny slipped out of the car and into the front door. "Daddy." He was already on the phone, she grabbed it from his hand and slammed it down.

"Sunny, what are you doing?" He snapped, looking at her.

"Daddy, they attacked Daryl and they called me a whore."

Rick looked taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

"The cheer offs today, I thought that was the coach?"

"No, Sunny, that was your mom." He sighed.

"Oops." She looked at her hands for a long moment. "Daddy, those boys, the football players, they goaded him. Daryl wasn't even gonna fight, but then Ron Trainer called me a whore, and Daryl lost it, he beat up Ron, Steven, and Kyle." She had his attention then, "Kyle knocked me to the ground, that's why my nose is bloody."

"Why do you think they called you a whore?" Rick asked interested.

"Cause I ain't afraid to be his friend. Daryl's friend." Rick remembered moments when he and Lori first started dating, how mean people had been to her about him. He patted Sunny's head. "Daddy don't make him be in trouble for this, he was just looking out for me."

"Honey, Daryl Dixon has never looked out for anyone in his life before, the fact that he looked out for you, well, that makes him alright in my book. Is he out front?" She nodded. Rick stood and set his arms around her shoulders, pushing her out front.

When they exited the police station Daryl was already leaned against the van, his hands in front of him. "I know how this goes Rick." He looked at the ground, to his surprise Rick hugged him, tight. Daryl stiffened, and Rick made a mental note to ask him later why.

"Thank you, Daryl, for showing my little girl that men are supposed to defend women." Rick pulled back from him. "You're not Willam and you're not Merle." He ruffled Daryl's hair, and felt sorry for the young man, as he raised his arm he watched Daryl wince and pull away from him.

"'S no problem, with those three damn angels…" His voice trailed off, "Hard not to defend uhm… Don't know they ought to stay away from trash like me."

Rick just looked at him and sighed. "You're not trash, Daryl."

Daryl just nodded at him, and looked at Sunny, she was climbing into the van. "Gotta take Beth and Sophie home."

...

"Made spaghetti." Sunny told him and Carl as they sit on the couch.

"Sunny, yew two are home alone a lot. Is it always like this?" Daryl took the plate she offered him, watched as she handed Carl a bowl, and she sank down next to him on the couch. They were watching Resident Evil.

"No, it wasn't always. You saw the nursery." She looked at Carl for a long moment, then continued on, "Last Christmas we should have had a baby brother, Lucas, but momma…" She paused and sighed, "God called the baby home soon after he was born. Momma ain't been the same since then. Her and daddy don't talk about it, but we know, it's pullin them apart. When they found out they were pregnant again, momma started to open up again, and so far its been alright."

Daryl sighed, he felt bad for Lori, his mom had lost a little one before she died. Daryl remembered his dad beating his momma half to death when she was almost five months pregnant. It wasn't long after that that she set the house on fire and burned up in it. He shivered slightly. It was no secret to anyone who lived around them, his momma wasn't faithful, and his parents always had trouble. Will wasn't biologically his father, yet Merle never acted like that made a difference.

Sunny was watching him, carefully. Something he had noticed a lot in the last week. He had never met anyone quiet like her, so open and inviting. So unaware of the horrors that existed out there. He felt her rest against his arm, their shoulder's touching. They ate in quiet after that, and Carl took their plates to the kitchen.

When Rick came in at one in the morning, all three were fast asleep on the couch. He covered them up, and turned off the television. Lori would be home in the morning, and he had a surprise for her. Not only had Daryl proven himself a good keeper of the kids, he had protected Sunny. Shane slipped in after him. "Rick" He called, "There is a hoodlum on your couch with your children."

Rick whirled on him, shushing him. "Shut up, don't wake uhm, and lay of Daryl. Wait 'til I tell you what happened at the Cheer Off today." Together they carried in Lori's surprise, carefully they constructed the new jewelry box, complete with a new ring. "Gonna ask her to remarry me." Rick told Shane, smiling after a long moment.

...

Sunny woke up first, it was Monday morning and that meant school. She woke Daryl, then Carl, and they rushed to get dressed, already close enough to being late. "Dad!" Sunny called through the house, no answer. "Shane?" She called, still no answer. "Can we all fit on the dirt bike? Dad took the van." She asked finally.

"Where do ya think they went?" Daryl asked as he helped Carl slide up the gas tank, then handed him the helmet he normally used. Once he was on, Sunny climbed on behind him. He was starting to get used to her arms around his waist. Today, she had her cheerleader costume on because they were going to something, he remembered vaguely her telling him, a game or something. Either way it meant he would be in auto-mechanics alone.

They dropped Carl off, and she waved Carol over. Carol taught fourth grade science and music appreciation. "You seen mom, dad or Shane?"

Carol looked between her and Daryl, "Shane's on patrol. Stopped by earlier at the farm, to let us know Lori and Rick were at the hospital."

Before Sunny had time to process it, Daryl was heading them towards the hospital, like he knew that was where she needed to go. When they arrived she made her way to the front desk, where a burly man sat waiting. "Sunny, your mom said when you knew they were here you would come. Wanted to let you know what happened, your dad is in surgery right now. Apparently last night, he aimed to surprise your mom and he ended up cutting his arm pretty bad."

Daryl looked down at her as they followed the man, Eugene, back to a waiting room. "Last night was their thirteenth wedding anniversary." She explained.

"Your almost fifteen." Daryl paused, sitting next to her.

She chuckled to herself. "Thought that everyone around here knew that story." She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, then started in a low whisper. "Once upon a time there was a boy, he was a damn good football player, but he didn't do so well in school and he was prone to fistfights. He fell in love with the sheriff's only daughter, and they dated through high school." She paused, Daryl realized she was telling him about Lori and Rick. "But then he went away to school, to play football, with his best friend Shane." He watched as she looked at her hands. "The sheriff's daughter missed him something terrible, but her dad made her break up with him, once he was out of the state. She was miserable and cried every day." Daryl looked at her confused, maybe this wasn't their story. "While at school the bad boy met another girl, a preacher's daughter, who he allowed himself to think could love him. They made a relationship together, but when they found out they were pregnant, she didn't want to keep the baby. The bad boy couldn't stand the thought of the little one's death, so he made the girl continue to pregnancy. After a little baby girl was born the girlfriend flaked, completely disappeared, and he returned home. The sheriff's daughter still loved him, and welcomed even the baby girl, they married a not too much later."

Daryl smiled a little at her, "But Lori loves ya, that's somethin' Sunny."

Almost as if on cue, her mother walked into the room smiling at Sunny, "I knew baby it was only a matter of time before you found where we were. Your daddy, lucky Shane was there. He cut his arm pretty bad trying to impress me." Lori ruffled her daughter's hair, it was long and red and tumbled down her back well to her waist line.

"What happened anyway?" Daryl asked curious.

"Well," Lori sat down next to them. "Rick always told me when we had our second daughter that he was going to put a stained glass window in the bed room, last night with ya'll asleep he and Shane tried to sneak it up there." Lori chuckled to herself a bit. "But, he lost his grip on it, and it fell shattering, and a couple pieces wound up in his arm and thigh."

"Dang, but Uncle Shane was there!" Sunny said warmly. "Did he bring dad to you?"

"Sure did, your dad asked me to remarry him while he was getting looked at!" Lori exclaimed making both Daryl and Sunny jump a little. "Now get to school!" She hissed.

"Your mom's scary, Sunny." Daryl said after a long pause, as they walked out of the hospital.

...

Daryl was sitting in the living room watching one of the horror movies he found in the house, Rick was stretched out in the recliner, dozing off. It was soft at first, soft enough of a sound he had to turn the television all the way down to zero. It was Sunny, he realized singing. He stood from his spot on the couch, and made to move up the stairs, Rick caught his arm. "Don't she'll stop if she catches you watching."

"How come?" Daryl asked retaking his seat.

"Momma wants her to cheer, not sing. But I think Bethy and Soph have talked her into the talent show this year." Rick opened his eyes and looked at Daryl. "Where's Carl?"

"Doctor appointment, Lori took 'im." Daryl gruffed. He could make out the song she was singing now, just barley but he recognized it as "Thunder Rolls", a Garth Brooks hit, at least he thinks it is, his dad was more of a Lynard Skynard fella.

...

He wasn't sure why, but he was constantly drawn to her, like she was becoming his sun, and he had to orbit her. Tonight, she had brought him the cordless phone, Merle was calling from lock up. "Hey, baby brother." His voice growled.

Daryl felt knots twist in his stomach. "Merle." He responded, he looked across the living room and found Sunny watching him, in her tank top and pajama pants, in her hands popcorn and a glass of milk. He promised her he would watch Halloween with her, Carl was upstairs asleep.

"Sorry to call, know ya sittin in that nice house, bein a good little lap bitch." Merle snarled into the phone. "They tryin to pin some extra shit on me, need ya to talk to Officer Friendly, let him know I ain't the one who raped that black bitch." He snarled, loud enough Daryl knew that Sunny heard it. Daryl felt anger move towards his face.

"I'll ask him bout it in the mornin', Merle, I have to go now." Daryl just hung up and threw the phone, hard into the recliner. "Sorry Sunny." He nearly snapped as he looked anywhere but her. True to her form, she dropped down next to him on the couch, and handed him the milk she had brought him.

"No problem, Daryl. Ready to catch me when I jump and scream?" She joked, clearly trying to make him feel better. The problem, though, was when she said it like that and her smile brought the dimples to her cheeks, he was thinking about another way he could catch her jumping and screaming. He just nodded deftly at her, and felt her stretch out next to him on the couch. Awkwardly he grabbed the popcorn bowl shoving it over his crotch, and waited for her to hit play.

Lori made it home first and found them both asleep on the couch. She snuck the popcorn away from Daryl, then covered them up. She sighed, with them home alone she was curious as to what happened when she and Rick were out, but judging by the scene before her, it was all innocent. Daryl looked stiff, in his own space, his arms tucked into his lap, with Sunny leaning against his shoulder, her legs under her body.

...

It was a Thursday, and it was going to be a long one. First Sunny woke him up from a dream about her, and he was trying awkwardly to hide his crotch from her as she rummaged around his room. "Come on, Daryl, we have a presentation today." He could hear her digging through his closet and his drawers. "Go, daddy bought you khakis."

He felt the khaki pants being thrown at him, and a nice button up shirt hit him square in the face. He took it in his hands and looked at it. "Sunny, ain't wearin that."

"Yes you are, we need an A, and your doing so much better with reading, Mrs. Maddy might just give us one." Her grades had suffered in her attempts to keep him above a C, Rick and Lori had both noticed it but hadn't said much. She found the new boots in the box in his closet and handed them to him.

"Sunny, the rumors are bad 'nough already, don't make me look like I am ya damn pet." Daryl growled.

"Get dressed, Pet." She argued. At some point after he knocked the shit out of Ron and his buddies, rumors had started running their way around the school, about how he was seeing Sunny, and that Rick made him move in to keep an eye on him. Sunny seemed to take it in stride, but he knew it hurt her sometimes, when both boys and girls alike teased her. Home coming was approaching, now that they were a month into school, and Daryl knew all three of his friends - Beth, Sophie, and Sunny - wanted desperately to be asked by someone. He felt bad knowing it wasn't going to happen.

...

After the initial shock of her not being Lori's daughter wore off he noticed how little she actually looked like Lori, and for that matter Carl. Carl had brown, almost black hair like Lori, Rick had softer brown hair, but Sunny had deep red hair. Freckles covered her face, but he couldn't see a single one of Carl or Rick.

Daryl had introduced the three girls to horror films, something he didn't think they had mentioned to Hershel, Gabriel, Lori, or Carol. Mostly Rick rented them and let him watch them with the girls when Lori was working. Rick was not one to scare easy, and after all he knew thus far about Daryl it had made sense. Daryl would sing along to the songs in some of them, and eventually Sunny and Beth started learning them too. Sophie refused, and stopped coming over on nights she knew there would be scary movies. Sunny tried to act like it didn't bother her, but Daryl was starting to read her too well. And when she bit her lower lip it was from anxiety or fear.

He wasn't sure exactly when he started watching Sunny, but he had. He would catch himself in Math or English, watching her move. The way she chewed nervously on her lip, or would run her fingers through her hair. His eighteenth birthday was coming up, on October 19th and her fifteenth was on October 24th, the more he watched her the more he had to remind himself that he was too old for her. Today, he noticed something he had not before, every once in a while she was steal a look at him, and smile, her bottom lip between her teeth. They were in English again, and after weeks of lessons with her, Beth, and Sophie he was starting to feel much better. He had learned that morning he was going to the football game with the Grimes family to cheer Sunny on that evening, and there she was in her cheer outfit. He was always relieved when she wore her sweat pants over the skirt on the bike, he feared someone might get too good of a look at her.

He had noticed that her freckles got worse the longer they were outside, and with her cheering again, she was always outside. Working on moves with Beth and Sophie. More than once he had been roped into being the spotter, like last night. It was just Beth and Sunny, working on some complex move that he learned flyers do, in which they spin in the air and are caught. Sunny was a flyer. He realized it scared the hell out of him. Anyway, he was forced once he got the idea, to help Beth hold her in the air, he had one foot and Beth the other. He watched her knees bend, then she was out of his grasp, her body turning itself in the air, then the next thing he knew, he was catching her with Beth, the way they had showed him. Either way, her body was pressed against his when he set her down, and something happened he was not prepared for. He felt the warmth first in his stomach, then it pooled lower, and he backed away, ducking in to the house, and rushing past Rick.

Now, he found himself watching her again, sitting behind her in English allowed that. He was memorizing the way she tilted her head slightly to the side, when he was jarred out of his thoughts. "Mr. Dixon, care to rejoin us?" Mrs. Maddy's voice was like chalk on a blackboard to him. His head snapped up in her direction.

"Huh?" Lamest response ever, Sunny was looking at him now, he could feel her eyes on his face.

"Could you please tell us, Mr. Dixon, what you think Romeo and Juliet is about?" Right, the play that Sunny and the others had read with him.

"It's about…" He paused, recalling that two people fell in love. "Well, it starts off being about loving someone you shouldn't, but by the end, I think that fella, Shakespeare, was just tryin' to say ya can't help who ya love, and when ya try to stop yerself, more than just yew can get hurt."

"Aside from your horrible take on the English language, Mr. Dixon, very good." Mrs. Maddy complemented him. "Anything to add?" Sunny's hand shot up, Daryl almost groaned, when she did that, it raised her cheer top, and he could see the soft flesh above her hips. "Go on, Sunny?"

"Shakespeare was also hinting at how dysfunctional society is when it comes to love. These two people, Romeo and Juliet, they fall in love by looking deeply into each other's soul, then after the fact they discover because of who their families are they cannot love one another. I think the deepest tragedy of this story, is that had the families simply let it be, so many lives would have been spared."

Mrs. Maddy looked at her for a long time, then smiled. "Very good you two, very good." The bell rang and as usual Daryl was the first one up, Sophie, Sunny, and Beth hot on his heels. In the cafeteria he realized how alone he was going to be this afternoon.

"So, y'all going to be out at the game right?" He asked, careful to not sound too upset by it. He looked at the three of them in their blue and gray cheer costumes.

"You are coming too." Sophie smiled, nudging him. "Dad said so, because it is a home game."

"Oh, no, I hate watching ya'll flip and fly around the field, watching everyone drool over ya." Daryl almost snarled. To be fair he hated watching the way other people looked at the three of them, not because the drooled over them as he suggested, but because they acted like the girls had been afflicted with a plague since he came around.

"Daryl." He snapped his head up from his lunch and looked at Sunny. "It's a pep rally this afternoon; you don't have auto-mechanics. You know that right?" He had forgotten. Damn it, he thought angrily.

"After the game tonight they are going to auction of the cheerleaders for money for the band program." Daryl only halfway heard what they were saying. He was not in the mood to attend a pep rally or a football game, no he was in the mood to be in the garage watching Sunny.

...

The whole school it seemed was interested in him and the three girls who seemed hell bound to eat every meal with him and walk to every class with him. No one could figure out why the three golden girls of King County were so apt to spend time with the resident fuck up. Daryl wasn't even sure. Hershel and Gabriel seemed to have accepted him. Lori and Carol both gave him looks of warning still, but he expected that was what moms where supposed to do. Speaking of Lori and Carol, he found a seat with them in the bleachers. Both moms were good about attending the pep rallies, and immediately following that for a while Sunny and the others would join them until it was game time.

"Daryl, do you like Chinese?" Lori asked, he realized he must have zoned out because Lori had her hand on his shoulder.

"Never had it." He managed, looking around them.

"The girls have to practice and we are starving, thought you might be hungry too." Carol watched his gaze search the field, then land on each of the three in turn.

"A'ight." He agreed following Lori, and steadying her every once in a while, the pregnant woman had no balance. Rick, Hershel, Shane and Gabriel joined them at the restaurant.

"Daryl," Rick caught his attention. "Merle's hearing is on Monday, they will be sentencing him then, Shane and I were wondering if you wanted to go. If you need we agreed, the girls can go with you."

"I'd like them to go, and yea, I think I'd like to talk to Merle." Daryl said after a pause, "Let him know I'm ok, and that his bike'll be fixed when he's out." Clearly Sunny had not told her dad about Merle calling earlier.

Hershel and Gabriel had been back and forth about letting Sophia and Beth go, but in the last month they had discovered the three little girls were the only thing that kept Daryl Dixon mostly in line. Sunny at the center of the storm.

...

Football was a foreign sport to him. When he first came to the high school he had wrestled. He was good at that, but with Merle for a brother, and William for a father, he didn't get much chance to attend school or practice. The wrestling coach, Abraham, was also the football coach. Daryl snickered to himself when they lost. He was clearly ready to leave, but Lori leaned close to him. "The auction is next, son, we wanna see who the girls are going to homecoming with."

Daryl's eyes narrowed. All members of all sports teams were gathered on the field now, and a stage had been driven out to the middle. All of the school's female athletes were on the stage, clearly being auctioned off. Standing in the bleachers he could see that he was not going to enjoy this. It was more of a joke, with the highest bidder or the most macho of male players winning out. The cheer coach, Rosita seemed uninterested in auctioning Beth, Sophie, or Sunny off. The three of them in their simple dresses looked like wall flowers compared to the other girls, in skimpy outfits. Lori and Carol were whispering to each other, Maggie, Beth's older sister had come in from the game, and she was whispering fiercely with the mothers as well.

It was the cruelest joke of all what that woman did, finally. "Alright, let's see, our last three girls for the price of one." Daryl snarled as he watched no one raised their hands, no one. The parents around him, and Carl looked shocked. They clearly had no clue how their daughters were treated. The nicest girls in the whole fucking town and no one wanted them. Daryl made his way to the front to the podium.

"I'll take uhm." His voice was gravely, Rick watched mildly in surprise, the others around him watching Daryl as well. Carl laughed. Sunny smiled at him, relieved.

"You have to make a donation to the school of some sort. Or bid on them, do you have any money?" Rosita sneered at him.

"I'll..." Daryl's voice trailed off.

The coach stood, "He will join the team back, and take us to state."

"And we will give him four hundred dollars, to bid on the girls." Hershel cried out from the bleachers.

"Yea. That's my donation." Daryl said, mocking the woman. He looked back at Rick and Hershel, both of whom nodded at him.

Abraham nodded in Daryl's direction. "Come on up and get your prizes then." Rosita said after a long pause, Daryl felt awkward all those eyes on him. He opened the gate to the field and walked up onto the stage. He rested an arm around Sunny and one around Sophie, Beth holding onto Sophie's hand, and he made to lead them off stage. He heard it, just slightly it was fucking Ron Trainer muttering about the girls. He bit his cheek and led them up the bleachers, to where their families were.

"Thank you." He heard Sunny whisper.

"I thought this year would be different." He heard Sophie say as they made it to their families. "Yeah, if no one would have picked us we would have been the laughing stock of the school." Sophie groaned.

"Ya already are. Don't yew three see, I'm trash and all those players down there didn't pick ya because they think I own ya, they think ya are fucking me!" Daryl snapped, before he could say anything else however, he was interrupted by Maggie.

"Looking good girls!" Maggie was on them in an instant, hugging the three to her, "Came home to get ya'll dolled up for the big dance!" Beth smiled warmly at her sister, and nodded back at Sophie and Sunny as she was drug away. Soon the only family left in the bleachers were Rick, Lori, Carl, Sunny, and him.

"Sunny, I don't have to take ya if yew don't want me to?" Daryl half asked.

She smiled warmly at him, then. "Nah, I don't wanna go with anyone else. Sophie, though, she wanted to go real bad with Ron Trainer. Come on, I got to run down and get my bag from the field."

Daryl followed her, looking back briefly at Rick, who gave him a lopsided smile and waved him away. Sunny was out of his sight, ahead of him when he heard Ron Trainer's voice. "Look, there's the fella we were lookin for now." He cut his eyes to see Ron, Kyle, Steve and two other dudes trailing him, out of their uniforms.

Daryl nodded his hello at them, since the last fight they hadn't had much of an altercation. "Must make you feel real good, the way all three of those little bitches fawn over you." Daryl's blood started to boil, he bit down on his cheek, and focused on his shoes. "Bet it's nice when they kiss ya, bet you liked taking the three most innocent brats in town to bed huh? How did you work it out, though, for them to share you?"

Daryl stood, "Ain't like that. Ain't touched them." He was not going to be compared to his brother or his father, or made out to be some sort of monster.

"Really, huh, sure are protective of something ya aint touched, waiting for the right time?" Steve asked, crowding him. Daryl realized they were looking for a fight, and it was five against one, he didn't stand much of a chance. He looked up in the bleachers, but they were empty now, and Sunny, she was across the field.

"Look, they are just my friends." Daryl asserted, he never took his eyes off the boys.

"Well, maybe we want them to be our friends too." Daryl looked confused as Kyle said it.

"Maybe if ya was nice to them, they would be, but ya'll call uhm names." Daryl's voice was low.

"Oh, look, one of his little sluts is here now." Steve tilted his head back, Ron looked over his shoulder.

Daryl had wanted very much for them to not notice them. "She aint a slut, none of uhm are - those are the best people in this town."

"Look, white trash is startin to get mad." Kyle snapped.

"What, Little Dixon, you aint gonna fight us like your brother would? Everyone in this town knows you aint nothing, your brother aint nothin, your gonna be just like him, rotten in state penitentiary." That was too much, Daryl swung, his whole weight behind the punch, and it collided with Ron's nose, he heard the snap, and watched Ron scream covering his nose. Before he knew it the others were on him.

Sunny dropped her duffle bag and ran towards Daryl and the boys, she could see her dad out of the corner of her eye, running also. She grabbed ahold of Kyle and tried to force him off of Daryl, instead the boy elbowed her hard in the face, she fell on her butt and groaned. She watched then, in terror, as the boys pounded on Daryl each attempt she made to get close enough to stop them, she was pushed back, or hit. She heard his shirt rip as he made one last effort to get away from the boys, and her heart sank. The one thing she had always wondered about littered his back, she had saw little scrapes on his lower back while they were on the bike, or when they were mowing the yard. She had never seen his back and his chest. His face paled instantly. The other boys stopped what they were doing. Sunny grabbed the button up shirt he had discarded, and was rushing to him, he pushed her back. He was livid. He grabbed Kyle then, before she could stop him, and shoved him against the concrete wall, that separated the field and the bleachers, hard enough it jarred Kyle's whole body. "THATS ENOUGH." Rick's voice cracked the night.

Daryl backed away blindly, grabbing at Sunny, jerking her along behind him and running. He was running towards her duffle bag, which he numbly scooped up, he was holding so tightly to her wrist that she thought he was going to snap it off. Rick watched, irritated that Daryl's first reaction was to run. Lori had headed home, with Carl, because he had to work the night shift. He looked at the five boys in front of him. "Run off before I lock ya up and ruin your football scholarships!" He growled.

He took one fleeting look in the direction Daryl had drug Sunny, but he heard the sound of the dirt bike long before he registered that Daryl was running, and Sunny had willingly went with him. He pinched the bridge of his nose and headed to his car.

...

"We are going to your house right." She asked as he finally released her hand, he nodded as he climbed on to the bike.

"No helmets today." He growled, tossing them both away from her, he felt his body shake under her grasp, and the bike roared to life.

She knew what to expect this time, as the crossed into the next town, and past hood town, pass the trailers and the bonfires. She had not come with him here since the first time, and as he picked the lock she was more prepared for the stench that would reach her nose. He was inside, and her behind him. Once more he went to the very last bedroom in the house. This time he returned with a couple mason jars. Clear liquid sloshing in them. "Moonshine." He growled at her.

He sank into the old recliner and watched as she slipped by him, sitting next to him on the arm of the recliner. "Daryl, we aint supposed to drink."

"Always do what ya are told, huh, except when I tell ya to watch out cause them rumors... an what do ya do? Make me have to bid on ya and them at the damn auction." He was angry, smoldering. She could see it in his eyes. He popped the seal of the first mason jar, and tossed a long sip back. She shivered, not sure how she was cold. The Georgia heat seemed to have come back with a vengeance. For a while he sat in silence, drinking and her watching him, ever so thoughtfully.

"May I?" She asked after a moment.

Daryl cocked his head to the side. "Yer daddy wouldn't like it if ya did."

"He aint here." She breathed, a moment of bravery and rebellion he had not expected. He handed her the jar, and watched with interest. She tipped it to her lips, and took a small sip, her face screwing up in disgust. "How can you drink that?"

"Used to it, I guess." He took it back, and took another big swig.

"If ya drink all that we can't go home tonight, I can't drive your bike." She watched him nod. "That was your plan, huh, to come out here and drink and sleep."

"Ya saw my back, I ain't nothin, nothin but someone's punching bag." The way he said it made Sunny feel like crying.

"You are something Daryl Dixon, you are something powerful and genuine, I just wish you saw it." She ran her fingers through his hair, brushing it out of his eyes, since he had come to live with them almost two months ago he had not had a haircut.

He smacked her hand away. "Let's play a game, girl."

She agreed hoping that it would change his mood, he was going somewhere dark and she was for the first time in her life afraid to be with him. No afraid he would hurt her, but afraid he would hurt himself. "What game?"

"Never Have I Ever, see Merle play it with the… women… he brought home for him and dad." Sunny raised her eyebrow but nodded as he explained the rules. Apparently if he was going to drink tonight, she was too.

...

He didn't know what started the fight but he knew he had saw enough of Daryl shirtless that abuse was in the house, not with Rick but with his real family, and he was worried about the look he saw pass between Daryl and Sunny. How she had let him take her, drag her away, like a thief concerned him as well. A fleeting memory of him, Shane, and is brother Lyle setting the town grain supply on fire, Lori standing beside him and laughing. How the moment her father in his Sheriff's deputy car rolled up, he had grabbed Lori and ran hard.

To boot it all when he called home to check with Lori about if they had made it home, neither Daryl or Sunny where there. Instantly regretting the fact that he was probably going to make Lori fret all night, he decided to tell her what had happened.

"Rick she is a smart girl, she wouldn't let him get her into any danger. Hell, the boy has made almost a complete 360 living with us, if anything, he would be more apt to let her get him into trouble. I told you Rick, she's more like you than you think. She is quick on her feet." Lori answered into the phone, she hated to say it but she was fairly sure that Sunny was smarter than Rick ever ways as a youth, she paused letting him talk. "Rick its only eight o'clock, if she is not home by midnight I will phone ya, we talked about this, you knew someday she would break curfew she's just too much like you." After a short pause she hung up the phone and went to tuck Carl in.

….

Sunny had made him turn his back to her so she could change, she was not venturing into any part of this dark house without him. He looked at the wall while she dug her sweats and tank top out of the bag, her normal after game look. She tugged off her cheer clothes, and tugged her hair down, letting it spill over her shoulders. She slipped her shoes back on, and shivered slightly. This place creeped her out. She tucked her cheer suit into the duffle back and said, "All done."

Daryl took his seat once more in the rotten recliner, and she took her place on the arm of the chair once more, resting against him slightly.

"Never been kissed." Sunny said, smiling shyly at Daryl, he took a shot.

"Never have I liked a kiss." Daryl grumbled.

"Never drank before tonight." Daryl took a shot.

"Never been a cheerleader." Sunny laughed, he had a hard time coming up with things for her, she took her shot and smiled warmly at him, the more you drank the less bad it tasted.

"Never been to jail." Daryl's face darkened slighly, but he took the shot anyway.

"Never had a younger brother." She took her shot.

"Never drove a dirt bike." He downed a shot.

"Never loved my daddy." Shivers ran up and down her spine, but she downed her shot the same.

"Never been on a date." A smile broke her lips when he didn't drink.

"Never had friends until ya came along." She sank down the arm of the chair, almost into his lap, he stiffened.

"Never wanted to date anyone." neither took a drink.

"Never slept in a real bed, til your dad brought me home." She drank, and smile at him.

"Never had sex." Daryl looked at her carefully, then took a sip. He couldn't tell if she was hurt or not. "Who?" She asked confused, no one at school, she was sure.

"Some woman Merle brought home, was my birthday present when I turned 15. That's the only time..." His voice trailed off. Sunny was looking at him, watching his every move her lips just slightly pouty. "Never had a person be nice to me, until you." She took a shot.

"Never loved no body but my family, until you." Daryl narrowed his eyes at her.

"Don't say things you don't mean." He snapped. "I don't wanna play no more."

"Daryl, I didn't mean to make you mad." She sounded so small, before she knew it he was standing, dumping her into the floor.

"'Mere Girl." He growled grabbing her wrist once more in that grip that hurt, dragging her to the back room of the house, he threw open the door. There were belts scattered around the room and two mattresses in the floor. There were more pictures of women and younger teenagers, ones he had not gotten last time they were there, ones he had not tossed into the creek. "Whenever dad or Merle would get upset with me, they would bring me in here." His grip on her wrist hurt. "Make me stand against the wall. With my palms on the picture for support." He was forcing her into the position, his hands briefly over hers, his breath on her neck. "Then they would pick a belt," He explained, looking for one that might not hurt her too bad. "And bring it down on my back, legs or ass." He spanked her, hard across her butt cheeks, she whimpered and he dropped the belt, tears on his cheeks. "Shit Sunny... I... fuck, I am sorry." He choked it out. He was gone when she turned around. She had never been spanked by Rick, and it hurt worse than she thought it should have. She looked thought the house for him, finding him in his old room. He was curled up on the bed, sobbing into his arms. He had tossed his shirt off, at some point, and his scars were there for the world to see.

She sank down beside him, gently rubbing his back. She kissed the first raised scar on his shoulder blade, making his body jerk violently and stiffen, she kissed them all, rubbing her hands down his back, telling him it was ok. She didn't know what made his dad and Merle so mean, she didn't need to. She was surprised when he grabbed her waist and jerked her down beside him, he rested his head on her chest, like he had his mother when he was little. Her heart was racing and it was his fault, he could hear it thundering in his ear, he felt even worse when her whole body froze, under him, his hands moving across her, one behind her back and the other across her stomach. He sobbed even harder. The only person in the world who was nice to him, who seemed to care about him and he had hit her like Merle, like Will would have. She felt his arms tighten around her waist. His body curling around her, she rested her head on the dirty mattress, and settled an arm around his shoulders, her other hand rubbing through his hair.

She had no clue how much trouble she as going to be in when they got home, but she was going to have a serious talk with her dad, about making sure Daryl never had to live with Merle or his father again. She felt him fall asleep, and soon she drifted off with him, it was hard for her to stay asleep however, between the outside noises and the smell of the house itself.

….

By midnight Lori was as worried as Rick, pacing the front of the house, she phoned both Hershel and Carol, imploring them to ask their daughters where Sunny and Daryl might be. Beth was sleeping over at Sophie's house that night and while both of them had a pretty good idea they were not about to spill it, and risk either Daryl or Sunny getting in trouble. The dance was tomorrow night, and they were all supposed to go together. "No Rick, she ain't home, he ain't home. Listen... They might have just fallen asleep somewhere, Rick, don't you ground her from the dance tomorrow. Sophie and Beth know where she might be but they won't tell me for fear you won't let her go."

Rick was quiet on the other end of the phone. "Lori, I think Sunny and Daryl could grow up to be in love, hell maybe they already are. I won't stop them from the dance, but I really would like to know they are ok." He had been racking his brain about where they could be, and the only place he could come up with was the trailer he had shared with his brother and father, but that was technically out of his jurisdiction, and police cars in that area at night, were beyond not welcome. He could go first thing in the morning though and check it out.

"He wouldn't let anything happen to her. Beth was pretty adamant about that. I think the girls are the first people to really care anything about him." Lori told him. "Also, I told you so, boys been here six weeks, and you are already starting to see how much like us they could be. What happened tonight anyway?"

"No clue, but Lori, shit, the marks on his back, I have seen others before, but never as bad as his. It looks like years of abuse, how did he live with Merle and William and his mother and no one notice he was being hit?" Rick's voice sounded weary over the phone. Lori had no answer for her husband, and when she hung up the phone, she sank into the couch and turned the television on.

...

Sunny felt his body tighten around hers as he slept, occasionally he let out a whimper or a moan, and she would sooth him, rubbing his hair and whispering that everything was ok. She couldn't sleep very well, there were constant noises around the trailer park in front of the shack Daryl had lived in. She blushed a deep scarlet when she felt something pressed against her lower thigh, with his head on her chest, and his body curved around her, there was no denying what that was.

She sighed deeply, and tried not to think about it. At first she was kind to Daryl because her dad had wanted her, needed her to be, it was her job. But then once she got used to him, something changed, she adored him, and was constantly trying to keep him on the right path. It helped having Sophie and Beth on her side, always guiding him, helping him with English.

She caught him watching her the first time, at their house, she was reading something to him for homework and asking him the questions, she often wrote the answers out for him, using Rick's print instead of her own to make it look like he was the one doing the work. His eyes were lingering on her face, making her blush.

She didn't know what time it was but she knew it was well after midnight, and she was in a lot of trouble, but she would rather be in trouble with Daryl then let him be sad by himself. She dozed off again, and must have slept for a while, when her eyes opened again brief pillars of light were seeping through the window. She heard a car long before she heard her dad's voice. "In here." She called out quietly. Daryl was still fast asleep.

Rick peaked in the door, confusion on his face. Sunny was laid on her back, fully clothed, Daryl with his shirt off, was wrapped so tightly around her body she looked like his teddy bear. He was angry at first, and thought momentarily about ripping the boy away from her, she drew a hand away from his shoulders and pointed at his back, nasty scars lining him. Rick sighed, he slipped in quietly and closed the door behind him, he sat with his back to the door. "Saw the mason jars, Sunny, did you drink too." He whispered. He was so confused, he should be more upset with his daughter, but then again, he could not blame her for being a teenager.

"Yea, but it was my decision, he didn't make me. I didn't drink much, not like him." She whispered back, he gripped her harder.

"Anything else happen?" Rick asked, slowly. Wondering exactly what had caused the boy to lose himself complete, to the point that his whole body seemed to gravitate to Sunny. Daryl Dixon, the number one bad boy of King County, the younger brother of Merle Dixon. Rick was also wondering if he should be more concerned, in the back of him mind he registered the fact that he needed to talk with Daryl about expectations and mistakes.

"No, daddy, we just played Never Have I Ever, and then he got upset, so I came in here to comfort him, then we fell asleep." She decided to leave out the part where he spanked her, the feeling of the belt still fresh in her mind, whatever drove him to share that with her, it was his story, and not hers to share.

"Ok, what happened at the field, sweety." He whispered, not wanting Daryl to wake up yet.

"He was being teased again, Ron Trainer is a real dick, dad. Teased about his friendship with us. There have been rumors around the school for the last couple weeks, about how me, Bethy, and Sophie belong to him, how he must be..." She trailed off, "Sleeping with us, and that's why you let him move in, to keep an eye on him." Rick could tell there was more rumors than that but she wasn't sharing. "That Ron boy insulted us and him, his brother I think, and he just lost it, but it wasn't a fair fight. There were five of them, Daryl's shirt got ripped, and everyone saw his back."

"So you came out here with him?" Rick understood now, he had been in pain and she didn't want him to be alone.

"Didn't want her to, was going to take her home after I drug her off the field" Daryl's rough voice boomed, tickling the exposed skin on her chest. "Understand if ya want me to leave now."

"No, Daryl I don't want you going anywhere but the dance with the girls tonight." Rick looked between the two of them, Daryl was starting to stir, but he had stopped suddenly, a scarlet blush on Sunny's face. "Sunny come on, darlin' you can help me put the bike in the truck." Rick was pretty sure why they were both blushing, strange things happened to teenage boys.

"Ok," She said, "I'll be right out." As soon as he left, she detangled herself from Daryl.

"Sorry 'bout that." He motioned to his crotch, "Happens some in the mornings."

"Daryl," She giggled, "It happened all night."

He blushed, deeper scarlet then her, and was caught off guard when she placed a quick chaste kiss on his lips before joining her father. He groaned, looking down at the issue arising in his pants. He could remember Merle beating him for not wanting that hooker he brought home for Daryl's 15th birthday, he could remember Merle roughly grabbing his dick, and forcing him to fuck her. His hardness subsided as he thought about that, standing he adjusted his pants, and found his shirt from the night before.

He exited the house and nodded at Rick, he had brought Shane's truck, and Sunny was already in the middle seat. Daryl slipped into the passenger seat, his body tight against Sunny's. She looked at him for a long moment, then smiled at him, resting her head on his shoulder.

...

"Ya didnt tell him I spanked ya, huh?" Daryl said, watching her fix her hair in the mirror. Rick had gone to rent him a tux. Sophie and Beth were on their way over. He looked over her form in front of the mirror, she was sitting in black lacy underwear and a black strapless bra, a simple silver chain around her neck, and small diamonds in her ears. He had to pause himself completely, and think of anything but her.

"No." She said it small, and quiet, her hands running through her red locks, trying to decide what to do with her hair. "Can't figure out what to do with this mess…" He heard her mumble

He was behind her, his hands pushing her hair out of the way by knotting a fist in it, and jerking slightly on her head. Exposing her neck, he leaned down and whispered "I wanna kiss ya, Sunny, do much more than that to ya, but I'd only hurt ya. Ya see that now?" He leaned ever so slightly forward, kissing her neck, behind her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"It wasn't so bad, you spanking me." She responded, slowly, not wanting him to move, worried he would stop what he was doing.

"Sunny," His voice was rough, almost like gravel, he lowered his lips once more to her flesh, kissing from her neck to her shoulder and back, he bit the junction between neck and shoulder, her whole body shivered, and she let out a small moan, he kissed the juncture then grunted. "I like ya hair down." Then he was gone. She shivered, and closed her eyes. Whatever warning he had been trying to give her was lost on her, as she ran her fingers over the skin he had just kissed. She looked in the mirror and shook her head.

...

Daryl fit in the suit well enough, but he didn't like it. He looked out of place, and flinched awkwardly away when Lori tried to sooth some of the more unruly pieces of his hair down. He knotted his hands at his sides, and felt himself start to panic. He kept reminding himself that he had to do this for them, because of everything they did for him.

Beth, Sunny, and Sophie were all going to wear similar color dresses, all soft greens he learned Lori never seemed to stop talking. Sophies's was floor length and tied in a halter around her neck. Beth's was backless, and long, it flared out around her in true ball gown form. Sunny was the last one to come down the stairs.

Daryl remembered earlier, the strapless bra, and underwear she had sat in when he slipped into her doorway. As she came down the steps Rick smiled. Her dress was short, ended well above her knees, and strapless. It was a shimmery green with grey accents, it had a sweet heart neck line, and true to what Daryl had told her, her waist length red hair was free, falling down her shoulders and her back, only the slightest of bouncy curls here and there. Unlike Beth and Sophie who were already much taller than her, she chose to wear flats. Daryl looked down at her, she only came to his chest, where both Beth and Sophie were to his nose. She smiled up at him, he reached out ever so gently to brush a piece of hair behind her ear, and nodded at her. He was not one for many words, and looking at her, he could tell that something was changing between them, but he didn't know what.

Rick, Hershel, and Gabriel watched as the women snapped loads of pictures, the girls together, the girls alone, Daryl alone, Daryl with each girl, Daryl with all the girls. "Are ya'll sure ya wanna go to this? No more damn pictures woman!" Daryl growled as they stood by the door, his arms playfully around Sunny's neck, Sophie and Beth leaning in for one last picture. "What if I just get into another fight, ya'll know I like to fight."

Sunny laughed, "Daddy, Hershel, and Gabriel are all going to be there."

"Right." Beth said smiling.

"Ain't no one messing with the police, the preacher, and the vet." Sophie made them laugh.

Maybe tonight wouldn't be so bad. Daryl though, he could not have been more wrong. There were five reasons from the word go he was unhappy. First and foremost, he was not a fan of people and the majority of kids who attended school with them were there. Second, it was loud – so loud that it seemed to shake his brain. Third, everyone was watching him, his interaction with Sunny, his interaction with Beth. And fourth, probably not so much an issue to him as it was Sunny and Beth, Sophie had ditched them completely to follow Ron Trainer around like a sick puppy. The fifth reason he was not happy, was kind of trivial in the grand scheme of things, he didn't like the music. It was upbeat and loud and from watching the kids around him, sexual. Both Beth and Sunny seemed to sway, mostly around him, neither excited enough to dance. He lost sight of Sunny, briefly, and upon her return, the DJ switched things up. Daryl did recognize the song; it was old… Before he knew what was happening, Sunny and Beth had clasped their hands together, encircling and entrapping him, they were singing. He laughed, as they played some sort of ring around the rosie around him, singing loudly.

Daryl was focusing on Sunny and Beth, listening more carefully to what they were singing, while dancing around him, clinging to each other, hovering so close to him, he caught both their perfume scents, enough to make him intoxicated. "Oh oh you've got the best of my love, Oh oh you've got the best of my love, Oh oh you've got the best of my love, Oh oh you've got the best of my love…" The song was over much too soon, and the girls broke apart, returning to their swaying. He watched Sunny, her red hair looked like a halo in the gym's light.

He could make Rick and Gabriel's forms out by the refreshment table, across the way Carol and Hershel watched, their eyes trained on Sophie who was entrapped in what every Ron was doing, Daryl noticed he had backed Sophie against a wall, his hand on the wall beside her head, the other, playing with her long blond hair. He watched interested as Rick slipped off, to the DJ, whispering something to him. Rick had watched Daryl's non-moving form long enough to know none of this music interested him, Merle wasn't much younger than Rick, and with the amount of times in the last weeks he had watched the Lost Boy's with Daryl he knew that there was one song the DJ might have, that would get him moving, or at least comfortable.

Daryl's head snapped up when he heard the music change drastically after some rap ballot. Both Sunny and Beth looked at Rick and gave him a thumbs up. Before he could stop himself, he was growling out the lyrics with the original singer, and to his vast amazement Beth and Sunny were singing too. Both girls sang while dancing with him, a smile on the tip of his lips.

A last fire will rise behind those eyes  
Black house will rock, blind boys don't lie  
Immortal fear, that voice so clear  
Through broken walls, that scream I hear  
Cry, little sister - _Thou shall not fall  
_ Come, come to your brother - _Thou shall not die  
_ Unchain me, sister - _Thou shall not fear  
_ Love is with your brother - _Thou shall not kill  
_ Blue masquerade, strangers look on  
When will they learn this loneliness?  
Temptation heat beats like a drum  
Deep in your veins, I will not lie  
Little sister - _Thou shall not fall  
_ Come, come to your brother - _Thou shall not die  
_ Unchain me, sister - _Thou shall not fear  
_ Love is with your brother - _Thou shall not kill  
_ My Shangri-Las  
I can't forget  
Why you were mine  
I need you now  
Cry, little sister - _Thou shall not fall  
_ Come, come to your brother - _Thou shall not die  
_ Unchain me, sister - _Thou shall not fear  
_ Love is with your brother - _Thou shall not kill_

Even Rick found himself humming along, as the song ended Daryl realized with extreme embarrassment that he, Sunny, and Beth had been the only ones moving, dancing doing anything and he stilled with the realization that everyone had just watched them, their interaction. The way he had held a hand belonging to each girl, how he had twirled them around, like they were playing at home. The more he helped those two with cheer moves the more they enticed him to dance, sing, he had even learned to cartwheel, it had taken some goading, but he had caved, like he always did with them.

When the loud upbeat music started up again, Daryl excused himself from the girls and went to use the bathroom. Sunny moved over to her dad, and hugged him, "Thanks. He needed to have some fun."

Rick nodded, and danced for a moment with Sunny and Beth, spinning them around. "We are going to check on Sophie." He heard Beth tell him, with that they were gone, slipping into the crowd.

Rick waited for Daryl to exit the bathroom, but he hadn't come out in two songs, so Rick made his way across the gym to check on him, as he got closer he knew something was wrong, he scanned the gym and realized both Sunny and Beth were still looking for Sophie. He entered the bathroom, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Sophie was crying under the sink, and Daryl had Ron shoved up against the wall, a knife to his throat. Rick coughed, and Daryl looked at him. Daryl had a black eye, something he always seemed to have, and a bloody nose. Ron, whose nose Daryl had injured earlier, looked terrified, his pants around his ankles. "Don't cut him, I am going to check on Sophie." Rick bent down, and reached out for her, "Honey, are you ok?"

Even as he asked it, he knew she wasn't, he could see her underwear, they had been shoved under a nearby stall, probably in the fray of whatever happened. "Honey." He looked once more at Sophie. She was shaking her whole body, her lip was bleeding and she looked shell shocked.

"Daryl, I am going to get Carol, Sunny, and Beth. Do not kill him." Rick's voice was firm, and Daryl lowered the knife, his eyes never left Ron.

When Rick returned, Shane was also with him, cuffs out and ready to go. Shane cuffed Ron and pushed him through the open door, never bothering to pull the boys pants up. "Carol, take her to Lori at the hospital, Beth go with her. Sunny, you stay…." Rick watched as Carol helped her daughter up, and guided her out of the room, Beth on her heels, he could see Gabriel pick Sophie up and carry her out of the gym. The other students were leaving Rick had declared the dance over.

Rick looked at Sunny, who was in front of Daryl, he had no clue when that had happened. She was folding the knife down, tucking it in his pocket, her hands resting on his chest, her eyes looking up at him. For a split second Rick was concerned that Daryl was going to kiss her, instead he buried his face in her neck, his shoulder racking. Sunny rubbed his hair, and rested one hand against his side. Daryl didn't flinch with her or Beth, he had noticed, but the moment someone else touched him, he froze, jerked away. Sunny was humming something to him, something Rick recognized but he didn't know from where. Rick already knew, Daryl was going to run before he did, and he already knew, Sunny was going to go with him.

The moment they bolted, Sunny looked back fleetingly at her dad, and waved, letting him know she was ok. "Boy should be on the track team." He heard Hershel mumbled from behind him.

"Ain't that the truth." Rick grumbled.

"That's his go to, huh, run and take her."

"Don't think he realizes he has her wrist til its too late. You drove the girls and he drove his bike, right," Rick didn't need to ask, he knew they were long gone by the time they exited the gym.

"I remember a wild eyed boy, who fell in love with the deputy's daughter, I remember him running something like that the night he set my grail silo on fire, yanking that innocent girl behind him." Hershel clapped him on the shoulder.

"I don't think Daryl was in time, I think he walked in on the end of it…" Rick was climbing in the van with Hershel, headed towards the hospital.

"I think he is a good man, just like I knew you were all those years ago, when your momma brought you to me because she was too poor to get ya stitched up at the hospital. I want to ask you if I can offer that boy a job." Hershel had done that for him, when he had come home with little Sunny.

"I think that would be a good idea." Rick said after a while.

...

He made her get on the bike first, then sit on the front of her dress, angry or not, he was not going to flash her body to everyone. He peeled off his tux jacket and pressed it to her, she wrapped herself up in it, and clung to him. When he took off, he did so with enough force the front tire popped up, the wheelie made her squeal, and they were off. They reached his house fast enough, but he had her wait outside, he slipped in and grabbed somethings, shoving them in a pack, and was back. He was driving her again, headed out to the river. He parked the bike, and headed to the river's edge. She slipped her flats off, not wanting to ruin them and followed him, careful not to step on any glass shards. She watched him, for a long time, and knew he was crying. She slipped behind him, silently, and wrapped her arms around him, this time, she was ready for the forceful elbow to the ribs, but it didn't come.

Instead he growled, like a trapped animal. "That's what my brother did to women, what William did..."

Sunny pressed her body more firmly against him. "That is why you said you would hurt me?"

He didn't have to answer, she already knew. Maybe he was crazy, maybe he was like them. "'M 'sposed to protect ya'll." He said finally.

Daryl was looking out across the water, when she slipped from behind him to in front of him. The cold water of the small creek that ran into the Chattahoochee, several miles ahead of them, licked at her ankles. She shivered a bit, but pressed her face into his chest. It was a strange sensation. Daryl looked down and she was looking up at him, waiting. He let his arms fall around her waist, his hands landing on her hips and pulling her close.

"You did, you were going to kill him, weren't you?" She asked, her voice as low as his.

"Yea, I was." Daryl whispered.

"Then you are one of us." She hugged him a little tighter.

"Wait here." He told her, he walked back up to the bike where his pack was, and drug it down to where she was. He pulled a thick blanket out of it, and motioned for her to follow him away from the muddy bank to the soft grass up the bank a piece. She followed. He stretched the blanket out. "My mamma's" He told her, as he sank down, toeing his shoes off. She slipped down in front of him, resting her back on his chest, and he pulled the other half of the blanket over them. He leaned back slightly, letting her lean into him. "Sunny…" His voice was low, he felt her moving around, snuggling closer to him, pulling the jacket he had given her off, she bunched it up and made a pillow out of it, she moved to be beside him, in the curve of the blanket, and laid flat, she tugged him back, he slipped his arm under his neck, and shared the bunched up pillow with him.

"Daryl, you see all those stars?" She asked it quietly. "When I first learned Lori wasn't my mom, I would wish on every one of them to meet my mother." Daryl waited for her to continue, he pressed his nose and mouth into her red locks, her head on his chest. "I met her as a young child..." He stilled, wondering who her mother was. "Haven't you ever wondered why Beth and I are so damn close?" He waited, completely still.

"Huh?" Back to lame one word responses.

"Maggie's mom died when she was really young. Her baby sitter, eventually married Hershel, together they had a daughter, but his drinking was real bad. So she ran off, to Atlanta, leaving little Beth with Maggie. It was apparently a whirlwind romance, and after ten months, there I was, and she came home, begging for Hershel to forgive her, never mentioning me. When dad returned with me, she was ashamed and they told Hershel the truth, Hershel gave daddy a job, and soon after he mended things with momma, and Beth and I grew together, she doesn't know. I shouldn't know, but Shane told me when he was drunk one night, lit and angry about daddy getting the best of everything, and he told me it all."

"Yer hair, it's the only red in either family." Daryl rubbed his fingers through it, letting his hand remain knotted in it.

"Nah, Beth's mom had red hair, Beth just took after Hershel. I figure someday Hershel will tell us, together, not knowing that I know, and we will both act surprised, cause she has no clue. Next time we go over, I'll show you a picture." She nuzzled against him, and was left to his own thoughts. Now that he thought about it, Sunny and Beth did favor. Just slightly, it was their noses and pouty lips. And their singing voices. He looked down at the girl on his chest. Beth was not even a full year older than her. He was mad, upset, but she had distracted him, she was good at that.

"Sunny." His voice was firm, she pushed up on her elbow, and looked at him. "I didn't get to Sophie in time. He was finished when I found 'uhm. Took my eyes off to watch yew and Beth, and he was gone with her."

"But you still got to her. You are the hero she will have." She whispered it. "Your mine, always defending me. Tryin your hardest to keep the rumors from hurting me, even though it's not so much that they hurt me or embarrass me."

"If anyone saw us out here, those rumors would be the least of our worries, Sunshine." He had called her that a couple times, when he was mad about her just taking the rumors or just smiling when someone asked her what it was like in bed with him. It was normally a term of endearment, but when he used it aimed at her it was an unspoken warning.

She was still hovering over him, his breathing was quicker than he wanted it to be, he watched intent on her, when she did what she did best, and took him by surprise. She ran her fingers gently down the side of his face, pressing her palm to his cheek, she adjusted herself slightly, and pressed her lips down on his. It was soft, slow and unsure, but as usual she lit that damn fire in his stomach, and he could feel his blood rushing lower. He pushed her shoulder gently, stopping her. "Never been kissed huh?" His voice had an edge in it she had only heard one other time, the night he spanked her.

"My first kiss twice." She thought back briefly to the quick kiss she had planted on his lips the morning after he used the belt.

He was suffocating now, he could feel it. Merle would never let him live this down, letting a little girl have so much damn control over him, he could hear Merle now, _Darlena you little pussy, gone a couple months, and ya crawl up Officer Friendly's lap, and become his daughters bitch._ Daryl shook the thoughts from his head and knew the moment he opened his mouth, he was going to sound dangerous. "Sunny, want me to kiss ya like I wanted to earlier? In yer room?"

There was that edge again, careful, but defiantly there. She nodded. He moved away from her, motioning for her to lay in the corner of the blanket, on her back, her head on the jacket pillow. He groaned, realizing how much she trusted him. He pushed his right arm under her head, both supporting his weight and holding her head still. She snaked her left around his neck, and settled her right palm on his face. He pressed his left hand on her right ribs, and lowered his mouth to hers. He kissed her hard, the way he had always wanted to kiss a girl, his lips crashing onto hers, smashing her down, his hand knotting in her hair, she moaned from the pressure of the kiss itself, but he felt his opening, and slipped his tongue into her mouth. He probed, trying to memorize every part of her that he was touching, afraid that at any moment she would stop him, she would realize that he was nothing. When he finally pulled back from her it was because he needed to breathe and calm down.

Sunny's eyes fluttered open and she giggled softly. "Daryl Dixon, where did you learn to kiss."

He was quiet, his eyes fluttered to her lips before he kissed her gentler this time, soft little kisses pressed to her lips and her cheeks, her jaw bones, rubbing his nose against her skin. "That woman, the only gift Merle ever gave me, told me that night if we were fucking, I needed to be able to kiss." He stopped talk, and kissed her once more, firm but not as harsh as the first time. "Kissing you is different, your sweet, your… delicious." His mouth was on hers once more. She felt his left hand tighten on her rib cage, and she moaned, the pain making her arch. Daryl stopped kissing her and pressed himself away from her. "See, hurtin' ya again."

She laughed, it sounded wonderful to him. "Caught me off guard is all. Come on, lay down like in your trailer." He did as she told him, resting his head over her heart, feeling the scratch of the sequins under his chin, the blanket wrapped around them both and the stars above, he held her tightly, wrapping around her like she was the only thing keeping him alive. "Daryl." He heard her voice, and registered that she was talking. "Are we dating?"

His whole body tensed, he remembered somewhat selfishly, that she was young. "Yeah, gotta talk to your dad though." He paused, then looked in her face. "I ain't Merle, I ain't ever gonna force ya. Ain't ever gonna hit ya." She kissed him, catching him off guard, pulling his face closer to hers with her hand in his hair. When he pulled back from her she dropped her head to the pillow she had made, and pulled him close, a small smile on her lips. They both drifted to sleep, the lul of the river, and the crickets too much.

...

"Rick." Lori's voice was low and dangerous, he knew he was about to get fussed at. "Where is Sunny?"

Yeah, she had noticed. "Uhm, with Daryl."

"With Daryl at home?" Lori asked imploringly.

"Doubt it." She heard Hershel whisper, he was doing his best to look anywhere but Lori and Rick.

"Where are they?" She was moving towards furious.

"Look, Lori, did you tell your dad everywhere you ran off with me? He did what he did last time, he grabbed her wrist and ran, moving her away from what I believe he sees as threats. He has spent his life running behind Merle…" Rick ran a hand though his hair.

"I was 16, and you 17. Not 14 and 17. There is a bit of a difference right there." Lori was fuming.

"I married my babysitter." Hershel interjected. "There are worse age gaps."

"Is Sophie going to be ok?" Beth had been watching the adults for a while now.

"Yes, sweety she will be." Lori said, rubbing Beth's head. "Rick isn't going to be though."

"If she went with Daryl she is safe." Beth said it quietly. "She is the one he is the most protective of."

The adults looked at her, "What do you mean?" Lori asked.

"Most of the rumors, they are about his relationship with her, and it is because of the way he looks at her, not anything creepy, but he looks at her like she is the only person in the room. He listens when she talks, even helps with the cheerleading stuff, when Sophie flakes out on us, which she has done a lot lately. He is always one step behind her, like a puppy, unless its to the back building, she lets him lead her out there, they are always in sync. In English and Math she has managed to convince the teachers to let her be partners with him on test, without ever telling them that he can't read. So she reads to him, outside in the hallway, so he doesn't struggle as much, so he can complete the test with the rest of us. Her grades are dropping because Mrs. Maddy gives her the same grade as him even when she has the right answers and he doesn't. He looks after the three of us, but it is because she was kind to him first. He won't let anything ever happen to Sunny, they love each other too much, and I don't think they even know that it's love. I think he is afraid of needing her, because when the bullies call him her pet, that is when the fist fights start or when they call her a whore, or the three of us sluts." Beth was steady with each statement, watching the adults. It was a promise not to involve the parents unless they had to, with the rumors and the bullying, but it had reached a terrifying point, with what happened to Sophie. "Ron was more than likely trying to get a rise out of Daryl when he took Sophie…" Her voice dropped off then, and she felt the tears in her eyes.

"I had no clue it was that bad," Lori looked at Rick, searching.

"All I knew was that there were rumors, and that the first fist fight was because someone had insulted Sunny." Rick responded. "He is a better man than me, and he doesn't even see it."

"What do you mean?" Lori asked, curious, and thinking about the teenage boy living in her house.

"I defended you, without thinking twice, but I never defended Carol, and people were awful to her." Rick answered, "Daryl didn't know our girls until the school year started, and their simple acts of kindness, they have turned him into some sort of hero, always protecting them."

The adults fell quiet after that. Soon Carol and Gabriel joined them, "Shane is getting her statement."

...

She woke up first, the sun hitting her face. She groaned, realizing she could not turn over, Daryl's whole body pressed against her. "Daryl." She whispered slowly, running her fingers over his cheek.

His eyes fluttered open, and he smiled. Her red hair was sprawled out, like a halo around her head, he pushed himself up, and looked down at her. He brought his lips to hers, slow calculating. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him, readily. "Worried ya might have changed ya mind." He whispered into her jaw as he kissed her face, pressing hard rough lips against her soft skin.

"Nah, like ya too much." He was pulling away from her, standing, and pulling her up. She stretched, then grabbed his tuxedo jacket, pulling it on. He pulled the blanket up and shoved it into his pack, then took her outstretched hand in his, and led her up the embankment. Once they reached the bike she slipped her flats back on an shivered, a chill in the early morning air. She climbed on first, then him in front of her. She slipped his pack on, then pulled herself closer to him, pressing her chest into his back. Her face against the middle of his upper back, between his shoulder blades.

Daryl knew he would be in trouble with Rick, and Lori when he got her home, but when something like last night happened and he was at home, he ran, he was showing Sunny his heart, showing her where he ran to. He kick started the bike, and as it roared to life, he felt her arms tighten around his middle, something akin to pride welled in him. It was an unfamiliar feeling.

When they reached the Grimes household only Carl and Maggie were there. "Get up those stairs and shower, both of you, NOT TOGETHER!" She snapped after them. Sunny blushed but ran up the stairs anyway.

...

When Rick and Lori made it home, the dirt bike was in the yard, and Maggie's car was gone. Carl was playing on his xbox with Daryl, who was stretched out on the floor, in sweat pants and a long sleeve thermal shirt. Sunny was in the kitchen, wearing thick wool leggings and a long sleeve flannel shirt, her long hair was pulled up in a messy bun. She smiled warmly at her parents when they entered and motioned for them to come into the kitchen.

"Don't be mad at him, he offered to bring me home. I went with him willingly." Sunny was putting pancakes on the table, syrup and strawberries.

"Tell us about the rumors, Sunny." Her mother was not playing, there was something dark about the tone.

"Uhm… well, there are three major ones, and the others just sort of fall around them. The favorite of the popular kids is that Daryl is fucking all three of us, and we share him." Lori made a face when she cussed. "The second favorite is that Daryl is my pet, because you brought him home, and him and I are… sleeping together." She opted not to use fucking again.

"The third one," Daryl's voice growled, "Is that ya made me move in here because Sunny is pregnant, and I raped her." His voice was dark. "I ain't Merle." He added.

Sunny smiled at him, then stepped beside him. "No, you ain't Merle." She said it so carefully, like she knew there was something unspoken between Rick and Daryl about Merle. Rick had never noticed how small Sunny looked next to Daryl, but in that moment Daryl looked very much like a grown man, broad shoulders, muscles, scars, skint up knuckles. Then Sunny, who only came to his chest, was small, childlike, except her eyes. She looked so much older, older than Beth, older than Lori. Wiser maybe. Daryl snaked an arm around her shoulders, pulling her head into his chest, and resting his chin on her head.

Lori looked at how comfortable they looked, how gentle and sweet his otherwise rough touch was, how welcomly Sunny looked at his outstretched arm before it snaked around her, how he didn't flinch. "You two were not this close yesterday."

"Talked a lot last night." Daryl answered finally, he had closed his eyes the moment his chin rested on her head, just breathing her in.

"See, Rick, told ya this would happen." Lori managed, before a smile rose to her lips.

Rick grunted. "Where did you go last night?"

"To the water front, when Merle would bring girls home…" His voice dropped off. "That's where I would hide, seeing Ron… I didn't know what else to do." His hold on Sunny was defiantly possesive, Rick could read that, but it was not the kind of possessive that ended with her in the ER and him in a jail cell, it was something altogether different, something innocent.

"Daryl, we need to talk." Rick said after a long moment, "About a few things. I ain't gonna stop you two, and I don't plan on making you leave, so you can wipe the worried look off your face, come on, son." He motioned for Daryl to follow him up the stairs. Slowly, painfully careful he let Sunny go, and looked at her for a long moment, kissed her hair, then followed Rick.

"Sunny, you are the only one going with Daryl and Rick tomorrow." Lori told her as she started munching on the pancakes.

"I get Sophie, but what about Beth?" Sunny was not too keen on doing this anymore, if she didn't have some level of back up.

"Hershel doesn't want her to go, he said he needed to talk to her about her mother." Lori looked at her daughter for a long time, and watched as Sunny paled, "I know Sunny, your dad told me this morning, when we went out to the Dixon's but you guys were not out there. I know the late Mrs. Greene is your biological mother, and it changes nothing, just proves that you and Beth really were destined to be best friends, like she always said. I never understood it then." Lori sighed. "How did you know?"

"Uncle Shane."

...

"Daryl." Rick led him into the only room upstairs he had never been in before, the room that Sunny called her dads. "I hoped when you came to stay with us that Sunny would be able to change your life, I knew to some extent that this might happen. Hell, Lori was banking on it, based on the fact that you two are basically me and Lori made over. The difference here is your more of a criminal than I ever was, and it's not your doing. But, son, when Merle gets out early and he always does because he is a model criminal, you can't go back to that, can't let him rule you, because it will destroy all the things that Sunny is."

Daryl listened carefully. "Yea, been thinking that over Rick." He paused, "I think I need to tell ya something. That night, the robbery, they all wore mask, but me. That girl, the one behind the counter, the one who was raped, that was Merle, he…" Daryl stopped talking for a moment. "Merle likes to do that to…"

Rick surveyed him. "The scars on your back, they are not just from your dad and Merle beating you are they? Listen your dad is never leaving prison, Merle on the other hand might, I just need to know that if you start something with Sunny, that your going to stick it out, she is the kind of human that falls with everything she has, and it'll only happen once."

"William ain't my father. Took one look at me the morning 'ah was born and told mom I weren't his." Daryl looked at him, gauging his reaction, "About startin something, Rick, ya have been nice to me, and I think yew are gonna sock me in the jaw for this, but I kissed her last night, and not just some little peck… she kissed me first," he paused, "And I asked her if I could kiss her like I wanted ta, she didn't stop me, all we did was kiss, I swear, but…" He stopped short, "I had a hell of a time, not doin more, and I think it's cause of Merle, cause of how they raised me, I want your help."

Rick thought about hitting Daryl, he really did. "So you kissed her." He repeated. "You wanted to do more but you didn't. Why did you stop?" He knew it sounded harsh, "She would have gone along with anything you wanted, I see the way she watches after you."

"Cause it wouldn't have been right, she's so young." Daryl growled back. "It would have been wrong, so wrong, she ain't ready."

"So you have had sex?" Rick asked, curious.

Daryl looked mortified. "When I was 15, Merle brought home… I wasn't ready."

Rick looked at the ground, "You been checked, I have seen the company Merle keeps."

Daryl's brows knitted. "Nah, but I can see already you gonna drag me to the clinic today, huh?"

...

Daryl was right, and being tested for everything known under the sun that was considered a sexual transmitted disease while your girlfriend's father watched, and talked with the doctor like it was nothing out of the ordinary… well, that was the kind of thing you try real hard to forget. Which was what he was doing as they headed down the road, back towards the Grimes house. "Only you and Sunny are going into his arraignment."

"Huh? He'll tear her up." Daryl narrowed his eyes at Rick.

"No, you won't let him, and I know you won't alone. You need her there supporting you. I got to do some shopping while you're in there." Rick was sufficiently pleased with the test results and had decided that he and Lori were going to by Daryl a truck for his birthday, as the winter neared he could not continue to drive Sunny around on the dirt bike, they would both get pneumonia. When they left the house Maggie was taking Lori to her last doctor appointment before her scheduled C-section, Carl was headed across the road to his friend Enid's house, and Sunny with Beth was in the front yard doing some cheer practice.

"Ok, but what if I can't protect her from his words. Words hurt worse than hits." Daryl spoke like he knew that from experience.

"Daryl, most fathers would have beat you senseless already, instead Lori and I are doing all we can to make sure you two have a good relationship with support. I am trusting you with _my_ little girl, so please for the love of God, _protect_ her." Rick resumed his watching the road, and Daryl let what he had said seep in. Rick was right, normal parents would not be comfortable with how close their daughter had grown with a delinquent, and how quickly they seemed to be comfortable with each other, how quickly they had become inseparable, how quickly their daughter had started entering his room without permission.

Rick and Lori were being very supportive, because as Daryl was starting to understand, to some extent he and Rick were alike, more so than he and Merle. Daryl watched the trees slip by them. "I'm always gonna look after her." He said finally.

Rick was not sure how he felt about it, knowing that the seventeen-year-old next to him was already thinking on a longer term idea, was already viewing her as the only possible conclusion to his life. Rick sighed, he knew the moment he met Lori that there would never be anyone else, he wondered back to the morning he had dropped Daryl off at his house, if Daryl knew then that he needed Sunny to live, that he needed Sunny to breathe. He chanced a look across the cab at Daryl, and saw him rubbing his hands on the front of his shirt.

"Hey, Daryl." Rick started, Daryl looked up once more. "School is going to be a lot harder for her now, too."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that." Silence over took them, and Rick knew there would be more fist fights in the future.

...

Thinking back on the first day, the moment he locked eyes with Sunny, no matter how short the time, he knew he was a goner, then the damn girl kept on with her kindness, seeping into his very soul. Rick and Lori were dropping them off, and always careful, he was a step behind Sunny. She was wearing a white cotton dress, it had sleeves but they ended at her shoulders, it had open crochet on the back, forming some floral design that made his head dizzy, the dress itself ended right above her knees. She had on her boots, the cowboy boots she was so fond of wearing. She had told him several times that she enjoyed riding horses, but he hadn't seen it yet. True to Rick, Daryl had worn new blue jeans and a nice solid black t-shirt, he had his leather jacket on, and was relieved when Rick had made Sunny wear a thin jacket of sorts, it was flowy and almost as long as her dress, it was brown. He rested his hand on the small of her back, he had been here before, but never with Sunny Grimes in front of him. The man at the front, whose name he didn't catch, was more than happy to lead Sunny anywhere she wanted to know, once she handed him a piece of paper from Rick. They slipped in, carefully it had already started, and found a seat in the back.

Daryl had felt his brother's gaze on him the moment they came in, absentmindedly he slipped an arm around Sunny's shoulders, her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, with a couple braids tossed in to add to the messy. Sunny was quiet, watching Merle. She didn't think they looked a like at all, Merle looked old for his age, and his face was pinched, like he was always angry. When his eyes met Daryl's there was something uneasy, and Daryl stiffened under the look, moving his arm from her body. She carefully looked at him, and took one of his hands in hers. "It's ok, he can't hurt you." She whispered.

He didn't say anything. Merle was sentenced for three years, and to everyones surprise, the judge dismissed most of the court room. "Sundance, your dad says you have requested that yourself and the youngest Dixon eat lunch with Merle?"

Sunny stood, he realized instantly the purse she was carrying was not a purse, it was a lunch box. She walked to where the judge was seated, and slipped something to him. "Thank you Judge Malcom." Sunny smiled warmly at him, he nodded his head in the direction of Daryl, it was the same Judge who had let him stay with Rick. Daryl stood, and followed Sunny. They followed the officers as they led Merle back behind the court room, to a small conference room.

"Merle Dixon, pleasure to meet you." Sunny held her hand out, waiting for him to shake it once they were alone. He sneered at her. Daryl was a step behind her, watching her carefully, watching Merle. "Alright then, well I made ya some steak, and mashed potatoes, corn, and well momma made it but Apple Pie." She was pulling food containers from her pack. "Thought ya might like something nice to eat, before…"

He was sizing her up, Daryl knew it. Not much to size, at five foot two, she was tiny, he didn't think she weighed over 120 pounds wet. "Ya taken care of Daryl too?"

Daryl knew what that question meant, he realized that Sunny wouldn't. "Ain't like that Merle." Daryl's voice was warning.

"Ain't yet, but you a Dixon, and we like them pretty and young." Sunny stood stoic as Merle brushed her cheek slightly, she smiled at him, warm as always.

"Let her be." Daryl warned. "Merle, I wanted to tell ya, I aint lying for ya not no more. For tha first time in my damn life, I got a chance, and I aint about to let ya take that from me."

"What happens when she gets tired of ya, huh, when she sees ya for what ya are… nothing but a dirty Dixon, nothin but a man who likes to hit his women." Merle growled, Daryl had pulled Sunny back closer to him. Merle must have noticed something on Sunny's face, because he laughed hard, "Already hit her huh?"

"No." Sunny was short with him. "I won't get tired of him." She grabbed one of Merle's cuffed hands, and pressed it to her chest over her heart. "Hear that, it's his heart beat in my chest. Ain't no one else I want, or need. It makes me sad you don't know what this feels like."

Merle looked at her, clearly frustrated, he slammed his fist down. "Darlena, have fun fuckin the cops daughter, and remember when they are done letting you be their pet and eat their damn table scraps, ya pussy, yew will come back to me, like ya always do."

Daryl didn't have time to say anything because Sunny was right in front of Merle, finger pointed at his face. "At least if we do fuck, or marry, or whatever he wont have to worry about me leaving him scared up. You hear me out Merle Dixon, when you get out of here in 18 months, cause like daddy says you're a model criminal, don't come round for him. I plan on keeping him by my side forever, so unless ya wanna answer to my daddy and Shane about why I am with him AND you breaking into liquier stores, robbing folks blind on the street, you best stay away." She was angry, and when she said fuck Daryl had felt that pride business in his chest, it was enough to make him realize as much as she was rubbing off on him, he was also rubbing off on her.

Before Merle could act, because Daryl knew it was coming, Daryl put himself between Sunny and Merle. "She's right, I ain't gonna be your tag along no more, I love ya, I guess, though ya ain't ever gonna say it to me, and if I can I'll help ya, but I won't be crossing Rick or Lori Grimes to do it."

With that Merle was left with the meal she had prepared him, the moment he knew Daryl was far enough away, he let a single tear roll down his cheek, watching after the door. "I do love ya, Darlena, but ya ain't a man like me, like dad, ya don't know how to be. Guess the old man was right about ya, ya ain't a Dixon."

...

Lori and Rick were not back yet, which was fine, when they exited the court house, Sunny took his hand, lacing his fingers into hers, and led him to the sidewalk then down the walk a piece, to a restaurant Daryl had been in once before. Hungry and alone he had demanded the woman who was a waitress give him something to eat, his dad was on a drunk and his brother was gone, his mother had just died and he had not eaten in days. Instead she ran him off, and the police came for him. After that he stole the crossbow, and learned how to be in the woods, how to be silent. No one missed him, no one cared. Just another Dixon, disrupting the peace.

This time though, was different. The woman was the same, her hair ragged, but when she looked at Sunny, she smiled warmly. "Sundance!" She waved. Sunny smiled and let the woman lead her and Daryl to a corner booth. "Ya momma and daddy joinin ya honey?"

Sunny thought about it for a moment, "In a while, yea, but for now Daryl and I wanna eat, is that OK?"

The woman seemed to look at him for a long time, everyone around town knew at least of him, knew that he was a Dixon and that the Grimes had took him in, for reasons unbeknownst to most of the town. She looked between them, then at their entangled fingers. "Your parents know you're here?" Sunny nodded, "Ok, honey, I'll fetch you a menu."

Daryl knew she wen toff to whisper with the other waitresses behind the counter. Sunny slid into the booth, pulling him into the booth with her. He relaxed once she was next to her, once his body was aligned with hers, his arm rested over his shoulder. She looked at him and smiled. "Daryl, he doesn't scare me."

Daryl cocked his head to the side. "He should, I should."

"No, I ain't afraid of either of you, aware of how he is, what he would do if it was just me and him, but I have no reason to fear, he won't touch me not the way you are worried, because I belong to you." Daryl was curious if this girl knew him that well, or if all the time she had spent with him, she had started to become hyper aware of his thoughts.

"Good, then you know it too." His voice was low, and the beast that he had never experienced before, was coiling in his body, slipping down him, his bones were on fire. He didn't know the protocal, didn't know if he could kiss her in public or not, but before he had a chance to think about it really, there she went breaking the laws of the world, and kissing him, soft on the lips. He kissed her back, slow and carefully, aware that they were watched, he pulled back and ducked his face into her hair, avoiding looks.

When both Lori and Rick walked in, their waitress rushed over to them, her hands talking as loudly as her whisper. Daryl snarled. Sunny was sipping on her sweet tea. Rick laughed, and slipped into the booth across from them Lori following. Her swollen belly in the way, Daryl jerked the table closer to him and Sunny.

"Daryl, we know we are a couple day's early, but we wanted to get you a birthday gift!" Lori gushed.

"But, first, we want to talk to you both about school." Rick was watching them, Sunny was under his arm, his face always close to her temple her hair, like the smell of her hair was enough to ward of anything that could damage him. "The rumor's were bad before, but with you two like this, everyone…" Rick looked at Lori for help.

"When we first started dating, everyone was really shocked, everyone was really mean about it, because once upon a time Rick was a bad guy, similar to you Daryl, and I was a golden girl, just like you Sunny. See, we understand what is happening, and although neither of you two fully get it yet, you will." Lori looked between the two of them.

"We defended our relationship, and you two will have too as well." Rick looked at them. "Are you both sure you can handle that?"

"I have been dealing with rumor's for almost three months." Sunny said, "I think it would be easier, at least on me, if we were open about it, it's kind of a new…" She stopped when Daryl suddently released his hold on her.

"I dunno, I get in enough fist fights and they will toss me out, Sunny. Then I won't be there to look out for you and Bethy, and Sophie…" He was deep in thought.

"Ok, so, we don't tell anyone, other than Beth and Sophie." Sunny said after a long time, "But, Daryl Dixon, I ain't ashamed of you, so don't you go thinking that."

He nodded, resting against her once more. "I know, Sunny, and it ain't like ya aint the nicest thing I ever had."

A look passed between Lori and Rick, his understanding of the world was changing. And with it, his understanding of people.

...

Daryl had wrestling practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He wasn't a fan of it, not really, but she would watch him practice, and that seemed to make him feel somewhat better about the situation.

Sophie refused to come over, that afternoon, and Sunny heard from her mom that Carol was keeping her home the week. Beth came over though. The first time since learning that they were half sisters. "Makes sense, how we always know what the other one is thinking." Beth said, as Hershel pulled away and she slipped into the front gate, "I'm sleeping over until Sunday, daddy has a vet convention to go to in Atlanta."

"Oh," They hugged, warm and inviting.

"Where is Daryl?" Beth asked looking around.

"Out back with his new gift, daddy and momma got him a truck for his birthday, so when we ride to school I won't get pneumonia." Sunny explained as she went back to what she had been doing, practicing some of the more intricate moves to the new routine they had for cheerleading.

"How did yesterday go?" Beth asked, sitting under the large willow tree in the yard, Sunny joined her.

"Uh, yesterday or after the dance?" Sunny rested her head on Beth's shoulder.

"Both." Beth had been at the hospital for most of the night.

"Well, Daryl took me someplace he goes to think, and we ended up falling asleep out there. But, we kissed." Sunny watched Beth, whose reaction was priceless.

"WHAT!?" Beth looked so confused.

"I kissed him, actually." Sunny told her truthfully. "I… well, we are dating I guess, had lunch together today, but we are only telling you and Sophie for now. Mom and dad know." Sunny explained, "And Merle didn't go so great. He is possibly the meanest human I have ever met, but I understand a bit more now, why Daryl is the way he is."

"And how am I?" He asked dropping himself, between the girls, snaking an arm around both their shoulders.

"Surly and mean!" She joked, he smiled at her. He ruffled Beth's hair.

"She tell ya?"

"Yea, I like it, too bad we can't tell the others." Beth nodded.

Sunny was leaning into Daryl, looking at Beth. "Did mom and dad ok what you wanted for your birthday?"

"You mean taking you two to Southside to the drive in? Ain't asked yet." Daryl said matter of factly.

...

"You want to take them to Southside? To the drive in? On Saturday?" Lori asked. "Is that safe?"

"I can put Shane on patrol out there." Rick commented absentmindedly.

"You're ok with this?" Lori asked Rick, slightly concerned about his husband's mental state.

"Merle is the badest ass down there, with him gone, they ain't about to touch me." Daryl snapped.

"Look, he has proven that he can protect them, and that he will. And it is his favorite movie at the drive in." Rick was apparently on his side.

"Favorite movie?" Lori asked, questioning all they showed in the month of October were horror movies.

"The Lost Boys." Sunny, Rick, Carl, and Beth all answered her at the same time.

"Really, all of you?" Lori groaned, "FINE!"

Daryl looked elated. Never in his life had he felt like he was something.

...

Both girls were dressed warm, and tucked into the truck. Maggie was helping him with a picnic basket and two large blankets, as well as pillows, all tucked into two large tote bags in the back of his truck. "Just think tomorrow morning, baby Judith will be here, and you will have successfully snuck my sister to Southside." Maggie was teasing him.

"Sure ya ain't gonna tell ya daddy?" He called after her as he climbed into the driver seat. He turned the truck on, and headed it towards Southside, on the way he passed Shane, waved warmly at him. Beth was excited, so was Sunny. More than ready for this night to be fun! They found a nice enough parking spot. "Stay here." He grunted, then made a nice pallet in the back of the truck, and unpacked their picnic. Maggie had made a feast, he chuckled to himself. "Ya'll climb on into the back, gonna run and get a drink or two, okay?"

Sunny knew that meant he was getting a beer and cokes for them. When he returned two boys were following him. "Twins," He grunted, "Sunny and Beth."

"Holy shit Daryl! Look at this food." Sunny giggled. "I'm Ronny and this is Randal."

"Nice to meet ya'll." Beth smiled warmly.

"Sure, we see ya'll round school some, but we are only 13, just freshmen." The were hopping on to the tailgate, Daryl surveyed the crowd.

"Ya brother Bo here?" The twins looked concerned for the moment.

"Naw, he is with Merle." The one she thought Randal said.

"Then ya are welcome to join us and eat a spell." Daryl climbed into the back of the truck, sinking in between Sunny and Beth. A chill wrapped around them, "Come on, climb up here ya two." They were small for their age, runts is what Merle would have called them. Ronny slid down beside Sunny, and Randal Beth. Daryl felt both girls adjust, Sunny much closer to him, and he pulled the blanket over their laps, then they ate.

Midway through the movie a popcorn war broke out, and Daryl let himself believe that this could happen more frequently, he smiled Merle was never one to play with the twins, but Daryl had always loved them.

By the end of the movie it was pretty could out. "Let me run ya'll home." Daryl told the twins, both Beth and Sunny were shivering. "Wrap up in the blankets, twins, and yall can have the extra food."

"Ronny, Randall." Sunny smiled, "Nice meeting ya'll, and any friend of Daryl's is a friend of ours, you are welcome to sit with us at lunch, and drop by the Grimes house if your ever hungry."

Sunny and Beth drifted off on the way to the Lassiter house. When Daryl got there, he looked in the back and both boys were asleep. He smiled, and wandered into the house. "Mary," He called after his father's on again off again girlfriend. She was lit, and had passed out. To make matter's worse their father was home was home, and drunk as a skunk, throwing shit around. No way was Daryl leaving the boys there. He jostled the woman awake.

"Daryl, hunny." She wreaked.

"Tak'n the twins home with me, a'ight?"

"Sure, darlin'" He heard her say, he managed to get by Charlie before getting hit, and back into the truck.

When they made it back to the Grimes house, he woke up twins, and the girls, sending them all into the house. He sent the twins to the guest bedroom. "Ya'll be quiet, get ya some breakfast in the mornin', then I will take ya home."

They were tucked in, and fast asleep. Beth was stretched out on Sunny's bed. Daryl reflected and didn't know when it had started, maybe a couple nights ago, hell maybe the first night. She was stretched out on his bed in PJ's, smiling at him. "I had fun."

"Sunny, ya got to be careful who ya invite home." He sounded like he was scolding her. "Shouldn't 'ave brought 'uhm here, but their dad was lit."

He sank into the bed next to her, letting her pull the covers over them both, and her snuggling to his side. "Daryl, they are little kids, they deserve a little break." She was snuggled to his chest then.

Daryl chuckled to himself before he rolled over, his body pressing down on top of hers. "Caught ya." He growled, lowering his lips to hers, kissing her hard. She yelped a little in surprise, but knotted her hands in his hair. He shifted his weight so his left elbow held him up, never breaking the kiss, running his right hand over her toned stomach. He tasted like the beer, but she found she didn't mind, she was going to be drunk on him soon anyway.

He had no clue how long they kissed, how long he held her there, but he did realize and pause, when he felt himself get carried away, his hand was snaking its way up her blouse, her breathing had changed. It was deeper, faster, her eyes locked on his, and he stopped. His fingertips at her rib cage. "Daryl." She whispered, he couldn't decide if she was afraid or not, then she captured his lips once more, breaking the kiss only to say, "You can touch my skin, I am not afraid."

He didn't need to be told twice, he was pushing up and away from her body. "You should be." It was a low growl, he was sitting on the end of the bed now, his hands in his face.

"Did I do something wrong?" She was sitting up now, inching towards him.

"No, I did." Daryl grunted. "I… I need to be more in control, if I had not paid enough attention."

"You would have what? Cocked a feel?" She asked interested, she was sitting behind him. He almost laughed, he defiantly snorted. "Like this?"

She did something very un-Sunny, she grabbed his chest, hard, pinching his pecks enough to cause a mild amount of pain, he was back on top of her before he could stop himself, a vicious look on his face, as he kissed her lips, sinking down on her whole body, hard, then he was moving, his lips on her jaw, her chin, her neck, her collarbone, dipping down the front of her v-neck pajama shirt, then back up her neck. In the same sport for the dance, he nipped her skin, he heard her moan, and growled, pinning her body.

Damn this girl was going to kill him, he was not sure how she did it, but once again she caught him off guard, flipping them, with strength he did not know she had, she was straddling him now, kissing him, nipping his neck, she found a spot, almost on his shoulder, that made him hiss and moan at the same time, she bit down hard, sucking with the intent to leave a hickey, something she had saw other couples have. His grip on her waist was tight, tight enough that he knew he would bruise her. When she pulled away from him, he caught her by the hair, dragging her neck to his mouth not carrying to move, at current all the blood and heat in his body was lodged right where he wanted it, firmly pressing against her core, her legs locked around him. He knew Rick would beat his ass for this, but he bit down hard roughly where he gauged was midway up her neck, the sound that escaped her lips caused him to jerk his hips against her body, another sound escaped her lips, this was going to wreck him. He let her go, and shoved her away.

"We cannot do this." He grunted, "Get to bed." She was glossy eyed, her lips red, rough looking, his handiwork on her neck, god, it looked rough, like he was trying to rip her neck apart. Then her hips, shit, her cheerleading costume wasn't going to cover those, his hand prints in her curves, his nail prints on her ribs. Her shirt was distressed, pushed up, hovering under her breast. Her hair was a mess. He grunted at the sight of her. "Go, please."

She just ducked away. He heard the sound of the shower starting and knew that he had done the right thing, pushing her away.

….

Rick glared at him, across the breakfast table. Sunny was cooking, it was Sunday morning, Judith had arrived right on schedule and all was well with Lori. Two little boys, who he learned belonged to the Lassiter's were sitting at his table, beside a sleepy Beth. The glare that was meant to kill Daryl, started when he noticed Sunny's neck. The hickey that lingered there, looked literally like it was done in the roughest fashion. He could almost make the teeth indentions out. To make matter's worse, Sunny wanted her dad to know she was guilty too, and had pulled Daryl's shirt down, to reveal the mark she left on him, it did not look nearly as violent as the purple bruise on her neck. Then to make matter's worse, when Sunny was getting the pancake mix down, her shirt had raised up slightly and three of the finger like bruises on her right hip/lower back showed.

"Daryl. Can is see you in the other room?" Rick snapped.

"Shit." He whispered, "Uh, yea."

No sooner than they made it to the living room. Rick shot him a look that made him wish he was dead. "Daryl."

"Before you beat me senseless, I just want ya to know, that's all that happened, I stopped it, pushed her away, shit hurt her feelings when I shoved her away." Daryl was watching him wondering.

"You… you shoved her away?" Rick wasn't sure what he was mad about, whether it was the fact that Daryl had pushed his daughter away, or that Daryl had taken it as far as he did.

"Yeah, I knew if I didn't stop, well." He didn't have to elaborate. "Tried to stop before the damn hickeys but she… well, 'm not good at self-restraint apparently."

"Have you… apologized for pushing her away?"

"Been tryin to all morning." Daryl growled. "Ya not gonna hit me?" He asked finally.

"Nah, I ain't Lori's dad. OR your dad." Rick sighed. "Go apologize, I am going to call Maggie, get her to come over and cover uhm up, so we can see Lori."

Daryl didn't need to be told twice, Rick watched as he darted back into the kitchen, pulling her from the stove, and kissing her, gently. He could hear the whispered I am sorry that they exchanged. "Shouldn't have pushed you, Dar." He heard his daughter whisper. He remembered how Lori had pushed him the first time.

"Yeah, Maggie, bring your make up." He said once he got his phone working and called Maggie.

….

Daryl had never been in a house with a little baby before. The first time he held Judith it was because Sunny needed him too, Judith was a quiet baby, and when pressed in to his arms, she snuggled. Sunny was cooking breakfast, and getting Carl ready for school. They were a couple days away from Sunny's birthday and she had requested something that even he was not sure her parents were going to ok.

He could hear Rick and Lori talking about it. She wanted to take Beth and Sophie, and camp, of all places, the river where Daryl had taken her, and she wanted the Lassiter twins to come.

Looking down at Judith, he gently brushed her nose, rubbing his calloused hand over her nose. She wrinkled her face, and burped. Sunny had finished her mother's breakfast tray and was carrying it into their room, "So?"

"Alright," Lori caved. "Where is Judy?"

"Daryl, he is holding her, don't think he has moved since I handed him to her." She breathed, giggling. She looked at her dad.

"Alright, but Shane is on patrol." She heard her dad and squealed.

She watched as Rick retrieved baby Judith. "I'll run her down to the Lassiter's after school, so she can ask Ronny and Randal. Take Beth with us, maybe Sophie."

….

Sophie had returned for the most part. She was back in school with them on Monday, and by Wednesday she was walking to classes and joking with Beth and Sunny. She also gave fleeting thank you looks to Daryl. She was a bit surprised when Randal and Ronny joined their table on Wednesday. But Rick and Lori had not given her the OK about her Saturday night weekend birthday plans until Friday, and once they caved so did Hershel. Carol was the uphill battle but Maggie and Hershel were working on them currently.

Ron Trainer was no longer going to school. Shane had made sure of that. You didn't get to touch one of the girls he called his nieces without him destroying everything you loved. Sophie was not going to cheer anymore, she refused. Beth and Sunny were going to talk to Lori after the birthday celebration about them all quitting.

After classes ended, Daryl was standing by the truck with Sunny, Beth drug Sophie over, "'Mone." Daryl ordered the three little girls into the cab. Sophie sit in Beth's lap, and as the peeled out of town, Daryl shifting the gears around Sunny's legs, they crossed the bridge and headed to Southside. The Lassiter's lived even further in the middle of nowhere than Daryl's fathers trailer. When he pulled into the gravel drive both twins were already off the bus or out of whoever's car the rode with.

This time it was Sunny, she opened the passenger door. "'Mone." Both Sophie and Beth climbed out.

"MARY!" Daryl called into the house, "Woman ya home?"

Sunny smiled a bit, Daryl would never talk to her mother that way. "Daryl Dixon, that you darlin'?"

"Yeah, me my girl, and her friends, come to get Randal and Ronny." He was motioning for them to join him in the house. Sunny nodded and pulled the girls.

"OH, my Daryl, which one is ya girl?" Mary was leathery, smoking like a fiend and scotch in hand.

"Sunny." He tugged her forward, "This one's mine."

Sunny surged forward, and smiled at the woman. "It is nice to meet you Mary." She reached out to shake the womans hand, it took Mary a moment, but she did it.

"You to cops daughter?" She asked it like she was a plague.

"Uhm, yeah. And Beth is the vets daughter. And Sophie is the preachers step-daughter." She motioned to her two friends.

"Mary, they done right by me, and Merle, Rick is doing his best to get his sentenced reduced." It was a lie, a bold faced lie, but she didn't acknowledge it.

"Think you could ask him bout my oldest?" She was looking straight at Sunny. "Bo?"

"Yes ma'am." She responded, smiling. "I can ask him when I get home. It's my birthday this weekend, and I am having a party of sorts, I'd like the twins to come, if ya don't mind."

"Daryl, ya always been good to the twins. They can go. Maybe ya can give uhm a chance. Get the cop to keep uhm." He didn't wait to say anything. He ushered the girls out, waving back warmly at Mary, then nodded yes at the twins. They clambered into the back of the truck, and as he was leaving he could hear Charlie tearing into Mary. He made a note to see if Rick would let them stay in the guestroom some.

When they made it home Daryl sought him out. "Know they weren't 'posed to come til the morn'n, but… couldn't leave uhm, their dad Charlie is outta jail and tearin them up something fierce."

"Daryl, when we took you in, I knew eventually that you and Sunny would bring in another stray or two, they can stay, Lori was always letting my friends stay over when Sunny was little." Rick nodded his understanding.

"So, they can stay?"

"Yeah, I'll talk to Judge Bowers in the morning, they are a little younger than your son," Rick clasped his shoulder and watched as the scrawny twins wolfed down the snack food Sunny put on the table. They looked mangy, like starving runts in a litter. Both small for their age, both dark from being in the sun to long. Their dark hair sun bleached. "Sunny, order some pizza's from Tony's, have them put it on tab, ya'll can pick uhm up."

This time when they went out Sophie and Beth also rode in the back of the truck with the twins, all wrapped up in large thick quilt. Sunny sat the pizzas between them on the seat. "Shane is coming over, so we need like eight, and then in the morning we are going camping!" She was so excited.

….

The school year took a break for Christmas, Daryl had taken a job on Hershel's farm, and was working there almost every afternoon. Judge Bowers had received the parent's permission for the twins to remain in the Grime's house, and Lori wanted to adopt them. Daryl was standing in the jewelry store with all the money he had saved and could spare. Rick was beside him. "Thinkin bout a ring?"

Rick made him jump. "Yea, like a promise." Daryl managed to respond.

"Your brother broke out of jail last night, Daryl, with Bo Lassiter." Rick was close to him. "Need to get us home, so pick out one, please."

Daryl pointed to the one he had been looking at for a long while, it was a simple band with two small diamonds on either side of a large one. When the cashier looked between him and Rick, he said, "Half price." Then he said, "It is for Sundance, right, I adore her, and I made her first necklace, when Lori called me, for her Christening."

Daryl thanked him, the followed Rick out, didn't make it far though, and the words that etched in his mind would haunt him for weeks. "Hello baby brothers." Daryl head snapped up, Merle was standing beside his truck. "Friend of mine mentioned ya got a truck for ya birthday. See ya got ya dick wet too." Merle was motioning at his neck. Rick looked between the brothers. "Ya think he can protect ya, after ya went and dishonored all things Dixon." Merle was angry pacing. "Bo's little brothers with ya, recruiting lap dogs huh?"

Merle was on him then, grabbing the front of him, shaking him hard. Rick had forgotten the size difference of Merle and Daryl. Merle was thicker and taller, more muscle and down right mean. He slammed Daryl into the truck. "STOP!" Rick shouted.

Merle whirled on him then, slamming Rick down. Daryl heard Rick shout something at him, run maybe, Daryl did, he ran to the patrol car and called for help across the radio. Then he was back on Merle trying to drag him odd Rick. "STOP!" Daryl tried, jerking his whole body trying to pull Merle off Rick.

"TURNED MY FUCKIN BROTHER AGAINST ME!" Merle was screaming, he stopped his assault and resumed beating Daryl, he grabbed a handful of Daryl's hair and slammed his knee into Daryl's gut. Daryl grunted.

"Let him go." Shane was even, calm. "Merle Dixon, I said let him go."

Daryl felt it then, something hitting him in the chest, something cold, he looked at Merle, and Merle snarled. "Can't have ya sleepin with the enemy, gone a month, and ya a fuckin pussy bitch." Merle looked down, "Sorry baby brother." Daryl felt it, constricting his breathing, Merle let him go, and Daryl looked down, Rick was beside him instantly.

"Don't pull it out."

Daryl could hear somewhere in the back ground Shane yelling after Merle, then a gunshot. Then darkness.

….

The first major thing he remembered was feeling something next to him, something warm. It had been cold outside, when the darkness over took him, when Merle had sealed his fate. The last major thoughts Daryl had had were about Sunny, his sweet Sunny. His eyes fluttered open slowly, he felt her, she was near him, and seeing as she couldn't have made it to the afterlife too, he realized her must have been alive still. "Daryl." She whispered, "Don't talk, tube." He grunted. She kissed his forehead, and smiled at him. "I am here, I am staying here until you come home." His eyes were searching. "Shane shot him, I am sorry. So sorry, I know he and your dad are all you have left." He saw the tears on her cheeks, and he was trying to move his hand, he couldn't though. He felt her bury her face in his neck, careful not to lay on him too much, and he closed his eyes, breathing her in, her red hair smelling like sunshine. He drifted back off to sleep. He warmth too much.

Sunny had had her mother bring Daryl the thick blanket that was owned by his mother, she had wrapped them both up in it, the first two nights it was unclear if Daryl was making it or not. The doctors didn't even know. Xrays had showed so many old breaks and fractures that Rick was amazed he had made it this far in life. Daryl was stabbed in the left side of his chest which hit the mid axillary line, just below the level of his nipple. Surgery was needed to ensure nothing important was damaged too much. He was weak.

Rick would never forget the moment it happened. He lowered Daryl, telling him not to pull the blade out, Shane was beside him, then chasing after Merle. Rick had carried him to his car, drove him well over the speed limit, all the way here. There was blood all over the car and all over Daryl, and all over him.

After surgery, Sunny refused to leave his side. Rick set the ring box on the table so when he woke up, he could give it to her. Daryl's eyes fluttered open once more, Sunny was reading to him, he almost dies and she want to keep up with the homework. He found this time he could move his arms somewhat, he could see what he was reaching for, it was on the table, if only he could reach it… He extended his arm, and grunted. Sunny grabbed it for him, the box. It didn't look like a ring box, hell that had been the point when he picked it. He drummed his fingers on her hand, then looked at her, pushing the box at her. "Oh, it's for me?" She acted surprised. "Brought your mom's quilt." She indicated, "Been reading you a novel version of Romeo and Juliet."

He paused then, letting her take the box and realized she was reading the first story they connected to. They were Romeo and Juliet, a different kind, but still the idea was there. Two star crossed lovers. He could see someone in the far side of the room. He wondered absently who it was, only to realize that there was more than one person. He returned his gaze to her, nudging the box at her once more. She carefully unwrapped it, and took the small ring out turning it over in her hands.

"He wanted it to be a promise ring," Rick started, catching her attention. She looked back down at Daryl, his eyes were trained on her, and she smiled, slipping it on her hand, kissing his nose.

"I'll follow you anywhere." He tried to smile around the tube, from what Lori said they were taking that out today and he wanted nothing more than to kiss Sunny. "Your dad wanted to come see you." Sunny watched his reaction. "Shane and dad brought him, from lock up."

William Dixon shuffled his feet, ankles and wrist shackled. "Said it before an I'll say it again, ya aint my son, and I am proud'a that, ya gonna be someth'n someth'n Merle, someth'n 'ah couldn't be." Daryl looked his dad over, studying him. He wanted so desperately to tell the man to fuck off leave, instead he just tried to be stone faced. "Laid in ta'ya, beat'ya, thought I could make ya like us, but ya too much ya fuckin' mother." Then he was leaving, nodded to Rick and Shane, he was ready to go. In that moment Daryl didn't know it, but that would be the last time he saw his father. Merle Dixon killed himself that night in his cell. Merle Dixon left the world the same way he entered it, alone in the dark, in jail.

He felt Sunny lean down next to him, her arm over his waist. He drifted back to sleep, but his dreams were haunted by Merle and William. When he woke back up, Lori was there, not Sunny. "Gonna take the tube out, son." She tried to be comforting. "I am going to be here the whole time." He nodded slightly.

It was not the most uncomfortable thing that had ever happened, but it wasn't the best. When the tube was out and he could finally talk again the first words out of his mouth were to Sunny. "I love you."

The smile that played on her face was enough to make his heart want to explode, "I love you too, Dar." She kissed his lips ever so softly.

…..

When the winter break was over, Daryl talked more seriously to Rick about things to come, "Wanna start thinking about what I am going to be, after school."

Rick was in his upstairs room; it was the room he kept things that were important to him. "What ya thinking?" Rick asked, he was putting the picture of Daryl and Sunny on the wall.

"Might fancy being a cop." Rick looked at him, and nodded.

"You'd be good at it. The folks on Southside would respect ya." Rick mused it over, "Gotta get your grades up."

"Sunny will see to that." Daryl responded, smling. "Ain't the only thing though, with the twins here, I wanna see if Hershel will give uhm work to do out on the farm, would do them some good. Also, I wanna marry her someday."

Rick laughed, "I see you have a lot of things on your mind."

Daryl chuckled, "Guess dying does that to ya." He quieted down, "Merle didn't wanna lose me, he thought he was gonna lose me, Sunny thinks I ought to go talk to him through the glass, what ya think of that?"

"When your ready that seems like it would be ok." Rick answered him honestly.

Daryl ducked out of the room now, and met Carl and the twins. "Ready to get your butts handed to you on Call of Duty?"

Rick could hear the hackling of the boys. He knew Sunny was with Judy in her bedroom rocking the little girl to sleep, they had been through a lot and he hoped that for a while, there would be peace. Lori was back at the hospital, the woman never seemed to take a break. Rick heard Shane slip in the front door. Soon he was in the livingroom.

"What ya doing man?" He asked, looking at Shane, he was supposed to be on patrol.

"Send the kids upstairs, except Daryl." Shane was low. Rick sent the kids up to where Sunny was. Daryl lingered by Rick. "Man named Charlie Lassiter came to the hospital tonight with his wife, Mary. He had beat her half to death, the twins belong to uhm. Lori tried to…" Shane looked awful. "Lori, well you know how she is, always so damn nosy. That man, he slammed her down pretty hard and she hit her head. Doctor Walt says there is no brain activity, wanted me to come fetch ya, and have ya leave Daryl in charge."

"What did she get nosy about?" Daryl asked, gauging Rick and Shane.

"Askin' that Mary woman bout ya, bout the twins." Shane resonded. He didn't look mad or sad, just exhausted.

Rick hadn't moved. "Where is the Lassiter?"

"Locked him up already, then came for you, come on man, we gotta go."

"Daryl." Rick started, his face was pale he looked sick.

"I got it, I'll see what Sunny wants to do if ya aint back by midnight, I can take care of them." Daryl locked the front door once he was out, and closed the blinds. He didn't understand was this all his fault. Daryl locked all the doors, and windows. Then called them all down. "Ya mom had an accident at work." He told Sunny, Carl was pressed against her on the couch, Judith in her arms. The twins were on either side. "And I am supposed ta watch ya until Rick calls, and lets me know what to do." He knew it was going to be a long night, but as the first rays of the sun flickered in with no call from Rick, he knew in his heart why.

It was confirmed when Maggie arrived at their house, followed by Carol. Not too long later, Rick and Shane were back. Shane looked a little worse for the wear, and Rick, well he looked completely lost. Daryl helped Shane get him to his bed room, then watched as Sunny made breakfast, as Carol and Maggie poured over what happened.


End file.
